


Lavender Clouds

by eridol



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alpha Hatake Kakashi, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Bottom Umino Iruka, Cross-Posted on Wattpad, Dumbasses, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Masturbation, Omega Umino Iruka, Omega Verse, Smut, Top Hatake Kakashi, and really bad timing, iruka is a stubborn bitch, kakashi has no sense of privacy, kakashi's an asshole but we love him anyways, slight dislike to friends to lovers?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2020-06-02
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:15:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 22,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24500656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eridol/pseuds/eridol
Summary: Kakashi Hatake is your typical alpha; attractive, strong, talented, and confident.Iruka Umino, however, doesn't like him- and no, it isn't because Kakashi's everything he's ever wanted.Rather, the older man is just a jackass... And Iruka is determined to prove to himself that Kakashi's shitty attitude and mannerisms are the only reason his face burns red (in anger, of course) when the Jonin walks by.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka
Comments: 31
Kudos: 479
Collections: KakaIru





	1. One

Iruka Umino was an omega in heat.

He took suppressants, blockers. The blockers were meant to stop and postpone his heats while the suppressants were meant to suppress their symptoms when they did come up. He lathered himself with scent-concealing body wash, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, lotion, and cologne a good two if not three times a day, too. None of it smelled good, none of it smelled like anything, but it kept his scent hidden from everyone in The Leaf Village, and that was all that mattered to him. No one knew his secret.

He was an omega.

Iruka Umino had expected to present as a beta. Both of his parents were betas, so it would only make sense, but a good three years after they'd died, he'd presented for the first time- confused, scared, alone, and in heat; an omega, the very thing he and almost everyone else at his age feared presenting as. He'd trapped himself inside and hid for the duration of it, and then used the majority of the allowance he got from The Third Hokage to go to the doctor and get all of the supplies he needed to hide it.

Hiding. Iruka had been hiding for years. He'd been drowning in medications and things to hide his scent just to keep his status a secret. Omegas weren't respected. They were seen as weak and useless, liabilities on the battlefield and everywhere else in the shinobi world, failures. There were plenty of omegas who had become ninjas, sure, but they had struggled to get where they were, and a lot of them ended up facing relentless teasing from their comrades at best and failed missions due to them suddenly going into heat during them at worst. Thankfully, he didn't really have to lie about it- most people just assumed he was a beta, and it wasn't polite to comment on people's statuses, so no one asked him about it. The stigma around omegas was getting better,. Blockers and suppressants were being developed and improved by the little community of medical ninjas and civilian doctors in their village, but there was one issue that Iruka often chose to ignore...

The blockers and suppressants weren't perfect. They had side-effects. If you relied on them too much instead of setting time aside every few months to go through a natural heat so you could take a break from the pills, they'd end up backfiring, and you'd build up an immunity no matter how many you took. The immunity would make them stop working for a couple of months and you'd be forced to go through the intensity all the heats you'd been putting off rolled into one until you'd had a long enough break from the pills for them to start working again.

Most omegas who were ninjas used the medicine to take during missions so they could hold off heats until they got back to the village or for special occasions, hence why side-effects weren't very common.

Iruka used the medicine all the time- almost every day, and then he'd let the heats roll through naturally when he had time, which wasn't often.

The side-effects usually hit once a year for him, during the summer. Iruka was thankful for that. It was inconvenient to have heats at all and he hated them, but he'd rather live like a beta during the school year and have a wave of intense heats hit him during the summer than have to live like an omega full-time. 

So, there he was. It was the first day of summer break and it was already starting, which had him a desperate, sweaty mess, curled up on his bed and facing the wall as he hastily moved to get his clothes off so he could take care of himself. 

Thankfully, he'd only gotten his shirt off when he heard the sound of a paper page being turned and smelled the scent of a familiar alpha-

"K-Kakashi!" Iruka scolded as he turned around to face the older man, who was currently sitting in his windowsill, reading one of his erotica books. Iruka wasn't sure why Kakashi was there, or even how the silver-haired man knew where his apartment was, but he didn't question it for a moment, just sitting there stunned. Kakashi moved to stand on Iruka's carpet like he, an alpha, hadn't just walked in on the brunette, an omega who had been hiding his omega status and playing beta for years, about to masturbate.

Iruka didn't like Kakashi in any sense of the word, he told himself. Kakashi Hatake was generally well-meaning and talented, and Iruka could acknowledge that, but Kakashi was also a complete fucking asshole. He was rude, incompetent, messy, cold, uncaring, played favorites with his students, teased and embarrassed Iruka at almost every given opportunity, and couldn't properly fill out a mission report on the first or even second try without Iruka having to tear him a new one before he could get it right.

Iruka wasn't sure he hated Kakashi.

But he definitely didn't like Kakashi.

Bakashi.

"...So, you're an omega, huh?" Kakashi questioned, tilting his head with mock curiosity. It was obvious- even Iruka was close to choking on his own omega scent, that which filled the room with an aroma of mint and herbal tea that he'd normally find familiar if it weren't so overpowering. Surely Kakashi could smell it, but the Jonin only continued in the same tone of voice he'd use to ask about the weather- the tone of voice that Iruka was accustomed to being used on him, and the tone of voice he was often annoyed by when it was used by the alpha. "I wouldn't have guessed. Thought you were a beta?"

"Get out," The brunette practically growled the words, able to hear a slight rumble in his chest and throat, and surprisingly enough, the silver-haired man blinked, seemingly intimidated if not a little embarrassed, his face burning a bright red that peeked up from the upper edges of his mask. If Iruka wasn't in heat, he would've smirked at the sight of the usually cool Kakashi Hatake blushing and taken aback like that.

"Fine, fine," Kakashi offered an awkward laugh, pulling at the collar of his sweater as he perched himself back in the window and allowed his gaze to turn apologetic if only for a moment. "I'll see you around, Sensei."

Kakashi left, and that's when Iruka realized three things.

One, Kakashi had been hard during that interaction, the scent of his arousal rolling off of him in waves that Iruka hadn't quite registered until just then.

Two, Kakashi knew his secret now, and Iruka wasn't sure of what the older man would do with the information.

And finally, three; Kakashi's scarf had fallen onto the floor. 

Iruka wasn't even thinking about it as he stood up and rushed to the wooden floor, desperately grabbing the abandoned garment and picking it up, holding it to his nose. It was a soft purple and smelled like lavender, but as he looked at the light clouds outside before shutting his blinds and curtains, he immediately cursed himself for even touching the damn thing, but...

It smelled so good. He hadn't ever had access to an alpha's clothing during his heats, but as he brought the scarf up to his face and took a deep breath in, he quickly realized that he'd been missing out. 

Kakashi Hatake was a jackass, someone who Iruka didn't like all that much, but damn was the older man's scent utterly intoxicating; like lavender heavy rain, something that Iruka found he couldn't get enough of.

This was Kakashi he was indulging in the scent of, though, and the more logical part of him wanted to set the scarf on fire just to get the smell of the Jonin away and prove that he could handle his heats by himself.

But speaking of his heat, his heat didn't give a fuck that he didn't like Kakashi all that much, because Kakashi was an alpha around his age who smelled phenomenal.

So, Iruka could only hold the scarf close to him before making sure the curtains were closed with a cautious glance.

It was going to be a long week.


	2. Two

A week had passed, and Iruka was frustrated. The side-effects of the medications were still fucking with him, but they'd subsided for a bit, so he figured he'd take the opportunity to bathe himself in products that would conceal his scent without damaging his cycle before going out to get some basic necessities; namely more scent-hiding shampoo and conditioner, as well as food that he could make without much trouble throughout the courses of his heats. 

Now he was walking back to his apartment, a grocery bag in each hand as he made his way through the residential area of Konoha. It was hot- too hot for him to be wearing his usual attire, but he was. The blue pants and turtleneck that he wore clung to his sweaty body like a second skin, and the green Chunin vest that tightly hugged his chest and mid-section felt like it was suffocating, but he tried his best to ignore it. He'd be home in a few minutes anyway, and then he'd be able to crawl back into bed and get off to-

"K-Kakashi!"

The street had been relatively empty until no other than Kakashi Hatake popped up in front of him out of nowhere. It was one of those summer days that was so scorching hot that no one wanted to be out in it... Except for Kakashi Hatake, apparently.

Iruka Umino now had two secrets.

One, he was an omega pretending to be a beta, and the only people who knew the truth were his doctor, The Fifth Hokage, and unfortunately, Kakashi Hatake.

Two, he had been getting off to the scent of the aforementioned Hatake for the past week or so.

The brunette still didn't like Kakashi, of course, but after finding the Jonin's scarf on the floor of his bedroom, he hadn't been able to help himself. It was an alpha's scent. Biology. Instincts. There was no way that him shoving his face into Kakashi's lavender-hued scarf for the past week while using whatever toys he'd grabbed from the bottom drawer in his nightstand to sate his heats was anything but him having any actual interest in Kakashi. The new revelation that Kakashi smelled like everything he'd ever wanted and more didn't bring up some new, weird interest in him on Iruka's end. Not at all.

But the silver-haired man was standing in front of him, way too close, and he was resting a hand on Iruka's shoulder. The touch sent another flash of heat through him, and Kakashi's scent of lavender and rain was flooding his nostrils in a way that had his mind short-circuiting because apparently, smelling the older man up close was a lot better than doing it secondhand through that stupidly aromatic scarf.

"Iruka."

"What do you want?" Iruka snapped, prying Kakashi's hand off of his shoulder and pushing past him, only for Kakashi to follow him and walk by his side. Iruka already didn't like Kakashi all that much, but the feeling was made significantly worse now that he knew Iruka's secret. The Jonin had always liked teasing him, so it wouldn't surprise Iruka if he'd already gone and told people about his discovery of the brunette's status, but he decided to ask just for clarification's sake. "...You haven't told anyone, have you?"

"Nah, it's not my business."

Iruka blinked at that, somewhat surprised.

Since when did Bakashi have common decency? And manners? Well, maybe the manners thing was far-fetched because he'd started walking pretty fast in an attempt to make it clear that he wanted to be left alone, and Kakashi was still matching his pace to walk by his side... 

"Oh..." Feeling awkward and unsure of what to say, the volume of Iruka's voice fell as he spoke, looking off to the side with a heavy blush on his cheeks- from the heat, he told himself. "Thank you."

"No need to thank me, but why are you hiding it?"

"Huh?" Iruka looked back at Kakashi, meeting the older man's gaze. 

Making eye-contact with Kakashi was weird. A feeling that was nicer than he'd like to admit.

"You're an omega and you're hiding it," Kakashi reiterated what Iruka already knew, raising his eyebrows. "Why is that?"

"Because I don't want people to know," Iruka scoffed, still holding his groceries as he made his way through the streets, finally reaching his apartment complex. Once he got there, standing in front of the building, he paused and leaned against the wall of the front, still talking to Kakashi. "Especially you. It's embarrassing enough as it is, but..."

"I don't see why you're so embarrassed," Kakashi put his hand on Iruka's shoulder again, and for whatever reason, the brunette didn't push him away. He only stood there and took the gesture of... Well, he wasn't sure what it was. If it were anyone else, he would've said reassuring, but this was Kakashi Hatake, and he was anything but reassuring. "It's not anything you can help."

"People are going to judge me for it, think I'm weak," He explained what was already obvious, letting out a frustrated huff before shaking his head. "I don't want that."

"You're not weak. Prove them wrong. You don't have to hide yourself," Kakashi muttered, looking away for a moment before pulling his hand from Iruka's shoulder and crossing his arms over his chest. "Like I said, I guess it's not my business. Smells like your heat's over, but then again, I'm assuming you're on blockers if you've been hiding it so well."

As nice as those words were, Iruka didn't plan on actually taking them to heart. Comforting words from one man who he wasn't all that close with weren't going to change what he'd been doing for the past decade. Kakashi was an alpha- he was strong, and people respected him without question, so he had absolutely no idea how Iruka felt. 

"Yeah, I don't really like people being able to smell me, so I take blockers and suppressants," He addressed the last part of Kakashi's statement, not bothering with the more sentimental aspects of it. His fingers were starting to hurt from holding the grocery bags so long and he just wanted to get inside and away from Kakashi. 

"Shame. You smelled pretty good last week," Kakashi's compliment was meant to be offhanded and casual, but Iruka felt even more heat rise from his chest, up his neck and to his face until it hit the tips of his ears, like he was boiling over.

"That's exactly why," The Chunin scowled, turning away and heading towards the stairs of his apartment complex, leaving Kakashi standing there. "I don't need perverted alphas like you trying to get a whiff of my scent."

"Hey! Who said I'm a pervert?" Kakashi walked to the bottom of the stairwell, watching Iruka climb up the wooden steps as he inquired like he hadn't just made an unasked for comment about how the brunette had smelled during his heat.

"You make it obvious," With that, he stormed off, groceries still in hand, but he couldn't deny the relief that surged through him at the words Kakashi called out next.   
"Well, your secret's safe with me. See you around, Iruka."


	3. Three

Iruka Umino had been peacefully looking through the bookshelf that sat in his living room, shifting back and forth on the balls of his feet as he debated on what book to read. It was a calm night- no heats, no students, no school since it was summer break. So, he had been in a good mood.

Had been in a good mood.

That was, until no other than a certain alpha who'd been on his mind a lot more over the past week and a half flickered into his living room without any warning, appearing between him and the bookshelf.

"Hey, Iruka," Kakashi Hatake looked worn and torn as he stood in front of the brunette, so weak that he nearly swayed, body off-balance and tired.

"Kakashi!" Iruka exclaimed, both in shock and concern as he placed his hands on Kakashi's shoulders to keep him steady. "What the fuck?"

"I didn't know you could cuss, to be honest."

"Shut up," Iruka hissed, glaring at the Jonin. "That's obviously not what's important right now! What happened to you?"

"Hey, sorry," Kakashi offered a half-assed apology as he stumbled, and Iruka caught the silver-haired man in his arms, careful with how he handled him as he felt Kakashi's head rest against his shoulder. The rest of his explanation was muffled by the brunette's sweater, but he couldn't bring himself to care that much. "Got fucked up on a mission. You were the only person I felt like I could come to."

"What about your other friends?" Iruka questioned, sitting Kakashi down on the living room couch and settling on the cushion next to him, eyeing the alpha up and down. 

"Don't want them to see me like this."

"Medical ninjas?" Iruka questioned, knowing that, even though The Leaf Village didn't have an abundance of them by any means, they did exist- the first that came to mind was Sakura, Kakashi's former student, who was talented at Medical Ninjutsu and would've been happy to heal her teacher. "You have one on your cell unit!"

"She's asleep right now and lives with her family."

That much was true. Iruka couldn't imagine how Sakura's parents would react if a grown man flickered into their teenage daughter's bedroom in the middle of the night, but still...

"What about your family?"

"Not much different than yours, Iruka," Kakashi spat, a certain sadness that definitely didn't belong there taking over his face. A few awkward seconds passed, and Kakashi averted his gaze, the brunette doing the same. 

"...I see," Iruka gulped, guilt washing over him in terrible waves that weighed his body down with the feeling. Plenty of people's parents were either dead or absent in their profession and he knew better than to ask questions like that, so he wasn't sure why he'd asked Kakashi. Heat of the moment mixed with exhaustion, he supposed. "Sorry for asking. That was insensitive. I'll patch you up."

Maybe he didn't like Kakashi that much, but he could understand how the Jonin was feeling. There were times where he'd get absolutely destroyed on a mission and come stumbling home, not damaged enough to go to the hospital, but damaged enough that he shouldn't have been alone, and he was always alone regardless. Bruised, bloodied, and beaten, there was never anyone waiting for him at home to take care of his wounds and make him feel better, and Kakashi was probably the exact same. It sucked. He acknowledged that.

"If I'm being honest, the main reason I'm here is that I usually don't let people see me like this. I don't really want it getting around that I have my weaker moments."

"So why let me see you like this?" Iruka questioned, tilting his head. If he was the only person on the list of people Kakashi knew who he felt like he could come to, he was going to be concerned. Their relationship wasn't great. They weren't that close. Even this interaction and especially the last few had been terribly weird and made Iruka unsettled for a reason he couldn't quite identify. 

As he waited for an answer, the thought that Kakashi really didn't have anyone else continued to plague his mind. Maybe they were more similar than he knew.

Kakashi was silent for a few moments, and Iruka took that time to slip an arm under Kakashi's, pulling the older man along with him as he walked to his bedroom. He sat Kakashi down on the bed and retreated for just long enough to go to his bathroom and get his first aid kid before returning. The silver-haired man took his shirt off, and Iruka was confused as to why until he saw the cuts and bruises, all strewn out across Kakashi's dominant arm and his mid-section, a couple scrapes on his hands as well.

Iruka thought that his question was going to go unanswered as he rushed to sit down on the bed and open up the first aid kit, which he used to disinfect the wounds. Thankfully, they were nothing too serious, but they were still nasty, and something told Iruka that they were more than a day old and left untreated. It must've been a solo mission.

The silence was finally broken by Kakashi. 

"To answer your question, it's because I trust you."

Iruka paused, struggling to think of a good response to something so unexpectedly intimate. 

Kakashi Hatake trusted him.

This had to be a joke.

"Our relationship has always been rocky, so how can you trust me? How do you know I won't tell anyone about this?"

"You're not that type of person. You're too driven by your morals to gossip about seeing people at their weakest," As frustrating as it was, Kakashi seemed to have him pegged, which had Iruka blushing in embarrassment as he finished wrapping the bandages around Kakashi's mid-section, arm, and hand. "Even if you were like that, you know that I have a secret of yours, too. It'd be an eye for an eye situation. Kakashi Hatake is weak and flickers into people's houses to get patched up after terrible missions, and Iruka Umino is an omega who's been hiding the fact for at least a decade. Interesting, no?"

"Thankfully, it'll never come to that," Iruka mumbled, now more than frustrated. He wouldn't have gossipped about this, just as Kakashi had said, but it still felt like the silver-haired man was trying to blackmail him.

With a huff, the brunette put all of his equipment back into the box that held the first aid kit before shutting the white container and setting it on his bedroom floor, allowing his eyes to fall shut. He could feel a stress headache coming on.

"I'm glad we can agree on something."

And then, Kakashi's head was on his shoulder, silvery hair that was much softer than he'd expected it to be tickling the tan skin of his neck. 

"Hey, what the hell are you-?" He started to ask, surprised by the sudden contact, but when he turned to look at Kakashi, the older man's eyes were shut and breaths were leaving his mouth in ragged huffs. He was sleeping, exhausted. Iruka couldn't help but frown a bit at the sight. It was true that he was often annoyed by Kakashi's general demeanor and sarcastic remarks, but seeing him so worn down was much worse, and as frustrating as Kakashi was, Iruka was able to stomach the thought of being a little nicer to him. "Oh... You're asleep." Careful not to wake the alpha, Iruka gently repositioned Kakashi so he could be laying on the other side of the bed in a more comfortable position with his head on a pillow instead of on Iruka's shoulder. He thought he might've heard Kakashi mumble some sort of complaint at being moved away from him, but he ignored it, simply laying down next to the Jonin- with a good space between them, of course. "Good night, Kakashi."

He stayed there, and he told himself that it was only because his back would hurt if he slept on the floor or the couch- not because he wanted to take in Kakashi's scent a little more, and not because he was worried about Kakashi.

Not at all.


	4. Four

Iruka Umino was slowly losing his patience as he paced around his bedroom, already dressed for the day and waiting for a certain Hatake to get his ass up. 

Kakashi was still laying in his bed, face buried in Iruka's pillow, which he had his arms wrapped around. Light snores fell from in between his lips, and if it wasn't Bakashi, Iruka might've thought that he looked cute... Not that he'd think that about Bakashi.

The only reason Iruka hadn't woken him was that he'd looked quite beaten and battered the night before, so maybe he really needed the rest. Iruka wouldn't deny him that- it wasn't like he had all that much to do that day anyway since he planned on staying indoors for the summer. 

Right when Iruka was about to leave the bedroom to make breakfast for them, Kakashi stirred, and Iruka froze where he'd been standing in the middle of the room as he watched. The silver-haired man turned to lay on his back, eyes fluttering open before he sat up, and that's when Iruka realized something extremely important. 

Kakashi's mask was off, hanging loosely around his neck, and any thoughts that Iruka had flown right out the window and died upon hitting the ground outside his apartment, his brain short-circuiting at the sight of Kakashi's full face. 

This had to be a joke. A cruel, surprisingly sexy joke that was made even worse when Iruka noticed how the smell of lavender and rain was permeating through his bedroom. God, it'd probably be lingering in his apartment for the next month, and when he went into heat, he'd be stuck getting off to it again, but it would probably be so much better than just the scarf-

Thankfully, before he could get more into the raunchier details of his debauched thoughts, Kakashi cut him off.

"Oh, good morning," Kakashi greeted as if this were perfectly normal despite it being the exact opposite, and Iruka could only stare with wide eyes and slightly parted lips as he debated on exactly how he was supposed to react. At this point, Kakashi had to be messing with him.

After what felt like an eternity of silence, he finally managed to reply to Kakashi with a skillfully articulated, "What the hell!?", earning a lazy raise of Kakashi's eyebrows in response.   
"What?" Kakashi asked, blinking up at Iruka, seemingly confused by the younger man's loud and sudden outburst. 

"Your mask!" Iruka exclaimed, expression probably laced with surprise as he gawked at Kakashi's bare face. He must've looked stupid, standing there like that and stammering over his words as he tried to come up with a proper response to seeing the face of no other than Kakashi Hatake, who'd had his face hidden from the public for the past twenty eight years. There had been some ridiculous rumors about what it looked like- blimp lips, buckteeth, a souless void where his nose and mouth should've been, a crooked nose... But no. Kakashi Hatake actually had an attractive face, with a soft jawline, gracefully pointed nose, and kissable lips that had a beauty mark just below them. What the fuck. "It's- It's off-"

"And? Same point as I made last night, you won't tell anyone," Kakashi reminded him, shrugging. 

"I'd say I feel like I'm being blackmailed, but I can't even bring myself to care at this point," Iruka groaned, running a hand through the ends of his ponytail as he tried to come up with some excuse to get Kakashi the fuck out of his apartment because for whatever reason, the Jonin's presence was making him terribly nervous. "Anyways, I have things to do-"

"Take your blockers first. Your scent is really strong," Kakashi muttered, sniffing at the air before his cheeks were stained a bright red. It was an unusual look on Kakashi, but Iruka supposed everything about this situation was unusual, so he didn't bring it up, only waiting for Kakashi to continue. "Are you going to go into another heat soon?"

"What?"

"I can smell it," There was a pause, and Kakashi seemed to realize that his entire upper half was bare as he looked down at himself. So, he left the room without saying anything, but returned a couple of minutes later with his shirt back on, though his mask was still hanging loosely around his neck as he sat back down on the edge of Iruka's bed. "I think your issue is that you take so many blockers that your heats get repressed. When's the last time you've had one naturally?"

The question was definitely far too personal for Kakashi to be asking, but Iruka couldn't bring himself to ignore the Jonin, nor could he bring himself to snap at him. Kakashi had a bit of dirt on him, so he might as well answer the question- it's not like it would hurt anything but his pride, and that was at the very most.

"...I've been taking suppressants since I presented. I usually take breaks from them in the summer when I can, so the last time I had one naturally was when you walked in, but before that... It had been almost a year, since the summer before."

"That's not good for you," Kakashi said in a tone that Iruka would've assumed was concern if he didn't know any better. Kakashi didn't just concern himself with people like that. "I'm assuming you haven't ever mated?" The questions were getting more and more personal, and Iruka could only offer a small shake of his head as he watched the silver-haired man pull his mask back up and over his face. "And you haven't had a knot?"

"Kakashi..." Iruka trailed off, covering his face with his hands in embarrassment. If you would've told him two weeks ago that Kakashi Hatake would be sleeping in his apartment and learning about his non-existent sex-life, he would've laughed in your face... But there he was now.

"Sorry, sorry, I just find it crazy," Kakashi chuckled, shaking his head and allowing his eyes to fall shut for a moment. It was weird seeing Kakashi smile without a mask to cover it, but Iruka couldn't say he minded the sight all too much. Maybe Kakashi wasn't all that bad, and maybe Iruka didn't dislike the older man as much as he'd initially thought he did.

"Find what crazy?" Iruka crossed his arms, tilting his head.

"That you're attractive as you are and haven't found a mate yet."

Iruka blinked, confused. Was Kakashi trying to flirt with him? No, no- he was probably just... Well, Iruka didn't know what Kakashi was doing, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know, either.

Of course, his stupid mouth couldn't help but spit a similar response.

"Could say the same for you."

"Oh, so you think I'm attractive, huh?" Kakashi asked, giving a suggestive raise of his eyebrows before laughing and giving a small wave of his hand. "Just kidding. I know you're probably busy and have better things to do than sit here and let me interrogate you about such personal things, so I'll get out of here. Thanks again for fixing me up last night."

"You're welcome," Iruka answered, still completely frozen where he stood. Kakashi's scarf was on the coatrack near his bedroom door, but thankfully, the silver-haired man didn't notice it, only walking over to Iruka's window and exiting through it.

Once Kakashi was gone, Iruka shut his window and leaned back against it, brown eyes falling on that lavender-hued scarf again.

Kakashi Hatake and his stupid ̶l̶y̶ ̶a̶r̶o̶u̶s̶i̶n̶g̶ scent were going to be the death of him.


	5. Five

Iruka Umino was nervous, confused, and unsure of what to say as he stood in The Hokage's office. It was awkward the second the room fell silent, Iruka shifting back and forth on the balls of his feet with his hands behind his back. He wasn't sure what to say.

His doctor knew he was an omega for obvious reasons.

Kakashi knew because he'd stumbled into Iruka's apartment through his window when he was in heat.

The Third Hokage had known since he helped with a lot of Iruka's finances when he was younger, but after he passed away and Lady Tsunade took his place, Iruka had forced himself to go through the awkward experience of telling her his secret just so she would know why he was so unavailable for missions during the summer.

Hence why he was perplexed about his current situation.

Iruka had expected this summer to be rather easy since Tsunade hadn't made him complete any missions during either of the two summers she'd had her reign for, but here he was, terribly silent and baffled. She'd suddenly called him to her office and told him that he had to go to The Grass Village for a mission, something about talking to the headmaster of their ninja academy. Iruka knew that they'd been trying to get on better terms with Kusagakure for a while now, but couldn't they get someone else to do it?

"A mission to Kusagakure?" Iruka questioned, tilting his head and looking off to the side as he wrung his hands together- a nervous habit of his. He was trying to remain respectful, but it was proving somewhat difficult considering how frustrating the situation was. "Lady Tsunade, with all due respect, it's summertime and you know about my..."

"Yes, I know, but it's important that we have someone who works at The Ninja Academy and the headmaster of the school is unavailable right now due to being in a rut that won't be over for at least another week, and the vice-principal is in a similar situation," That made sense. Iruka wanted to rationalize it with you could send literally anyone else, but unfortunately, he was one of the most well-respected teachers there, and if the headmaster and vice-principal were both unavailable, he was basically third in line. "I'm sending Kakashi Hatake to guard you, so you'll be perfectly safe."

Almost as if on cue, no other than Kakashi Hatake popped into the room, casually landing in the windowsill and hopping in because he had absolutely no manners whatsoever. The silver-haired man leaned back against the wall behind The Hokage's desk, lazily holding a hand up and waving.

"Yo!"

Iruka deadpanned, groaning and face-palming as he lost any hint of formality he had been trying to keep up in front of their village's leader.

"Why him?" The brunette asked, shooting a glare in Kakashi's direction. The Jonin only smirked under his mask, stepping out from behind the wooden desk and moving to stand in front of the younger man, playfully nudging his shoulder.

"What, do you hate me that much?" Kakashi teased, tilting his head and batting his eyelashes, which were surprisingly long. Had they always been that pretty? Why did Iruka think they were pretty? 

Why was Kakashi so pretty?

"Shut up."

Iruka pushed Kakashi's shoulder just hard enough to make the other man move out of the way so he could see Tsunade. The blonde looked exasperated, only resting her elbows on the part of her desk that wasn't covered by paperwork and holding her head in her hands. Iruka couldn't help but feel a little bad for her, as well as the poor sap who got stuck with Hokage next. He doubted it'd be Naruto- the boy was still too young, so whoever took the hat after Tsunade would probably be his age. 

He could never. After all, he had enough paperwork as it was.

"I see you two get along as well as you always have," Tsunade muttered, sarcastic as she rolled her eyes at their antics. "Maybe this mission is for the best. It could serve as a... Bonding experience."

Bonding. In their society, it had a few meanings- the normal ones, of course, and then the one where two people would bite each other during sex, the bites called "bond" or "bonding" marks that made them long-term mates. And when Tsunade said bonding experience in that tone, he couldn't help but think about him and Kakashi-

Apparently, Kakashi was thinking the same thing, because he awkwardly cleared his throat and spoke up. "Please rephrase that."

"No, I don't think I will. Anyways, you two should leave as possible- I heard there's a rainstorm that's supposed to sweep through sometime soon. You're dismissed."

The two nodded, and then they were out, exiting through the door of Tsunade's office and walking side by side. Iruka could feel the anxiety and frustration about this mission rolling off of him in waves, and apparently, Kakashi was able to feel it as they made their way out of The Hokage's building and into the streets of Konoha.

"Oh, no, don't look too happy about this or anything, Iruka," The Jonin scoffed, to which Iruka rolled his eyes.

"Whatever."

"Is being stuck with me really that bad?"

"I'm an omega whose heat cycle is irregular and the increased presence of an alpha could make that worse," Iruka reminded him, voice low so that no one could overhear them. They were walking in the direction of his apartment, and the turn to Kakashi's place was a couple blocks ago, but the silver-haired man didn't care, seeming intent on following the brunette. "So, now I have to go on a mission with an alpha that'll probably take a good week, and I could go into heat at any moment. It's not just you, so stop being so self-absorbed."

"Look, if anything happens, I can help you through it."

Iruka didn't know how Kakashi meant for that to sound, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

"Whatever," Iruka paused where he stood, in one of the street corners near the training grounds that were on the way to their apartment. Thankfully, there weren't too many people around to hear him. "Lady Tsunade should know better than this, but... I guess I'll have to put up with it. When are you free to leave?"

"Now."

"That's... I mean, okay, sure. If you want, you can come with me back to my place and I'll pack a bag, and then we can leave. But you're gonna wait outside my door."

"What, something in there you don't want me to see?" Kakashi asked, suggestively raising his eyebrows, and Iruka shook his head.

Kakashi had only been joking, but it was true that there was something in there that Iruka didn't want Kakashi to see.

The scarf.

"Trust me, my life isn't that interesting. I just don't want your scent in my apartment again," He lied, referencing how Kakashi's scent had been in his bedsheets and all around his house after the Jonin had crashed there that one night he'd flickered in unannounced.

"Did it drive you up the wall that bad?" Kakashi asked, tone oddly sultry as he crossed his arms over his chest and raised his eyebrows.

Iruka couldn't tell whether Kakashi was asking about his scent genuinely annoying Iruka and grossing him out because he didn't like it or if Kakashi was asking about his scent annoying Iruka in less annoying but more suggestive ways, but he found himself incredibly embarrassed by the situation regardless. 

"I guess you could say that," Iruka muttered, averting his gaze as his cheeks were dusted red with a light blush... Kakashi definitely could've worded that one better. "Let's... Let's just go."


	6. Six

Thankfully, the mission itself had gone by rather smoothly. Iruka had met with the headmaster of Kusagakure's Ninja Academy, they'd discussed their curriculums and ways to improve them, and Kakashi had been by his side, which somehow soothed his anxiety about the entire situation.

Now, they were at a hotel in a civilian town of The Land Of Fire, probably another day worth of walking away from The Leaf Village. The rain was pouring hard outside, and walking in it wasn't exactly preferable, but it was worrying... Right when he thought he was in the clear to get home before another heat started, a rainstorm decided to hit, which would inevitably keep them inside for longer than anticipated. He figured he could ignore his rule of not loading himself with suppressants and blockers during the summer just this once if he felt something hit. 

Him and Kakashi had just tumbled into the room, throwing their bags on the floor and looking around. The Jonin walked over to the one window that was there, pulling the cheap curtains back and peeking through the blinds to look outside.

"Ah, rainstorm," Kakashi started, following with exactly what Iruka had feared as soon as it had started raining. "Seems like we'll be stuck for a day or two."

They were ninjas. They could handle walking in the rain if the mission was life or death, but it wasn't, and they were already done with the mission anyways. While Iruka didn't want to risk going into heat, he wasn't enough of an asshole to make Kakashi walk in the rain just for him- after all, it wasn't his fault they were sent on this mission together, as Tsunade had been the one to arrange it.

"Yeah, seems like it..." Iruka trailed off, sighing as he took in the room. There was the window, the queen-sized bed with a little nightstand that had a lamp on top beside it, and then a desk with a chair in the opposite corner. Numerous rooms with two beds had been available, but neither Kakashi nor Iruka were rich, and it seemed like a waste of money to get a room that was twice the size they needed for the sake of having an extra bed when they were both mature (he wasn't so sure about Kakashi in that aspect, but still-) adults who could share.  
It was silent for a few minutes as both of them got ready to sleep. Iruka untied his forehead protector and let his hair down, sliding his shoes off and setting them neatly against the wall before ditching his pants, vest, and sweater, figuring that his loose boxers and the tank-top he used as an undershirt were decent enough to sleep in, even with Kakashi there. We're both adults, he reminded himself, but almost had a bit of a hard time believing it when he looked over at Kakashi, who kicked his shoes off his feet so hard that they were sent flying into the wall and then laughed when they landed in the empty trash bin that was sitting between the nightstand in the bed. 

Iruka could only scoff as he turned the bedroom light off, walking over to the bed and setting on the edge, turning the lamp that sat atop the nightstand on and allowing his eyes to fall shut for a moment as the warm glow filled the room. He heard the mattress creak as weight was added onto it, and when he turned around, he wasn't surprised to see Kakashi laying down next to him. What he was surprised to see was that Kakashi didn't have his mask on, opting to wear a pair of pajama pants that Iruka hadn't even seen him change into and nothing else. Like the time before, it was weird to see Kakashi's face, but definitely not a bad kind of weird.

Sighing, Iruka fully laid down on the bed next to the older man and pulled the covers over both of them.

"Iruka."

Kakashi had been laying on his side to face Iruka, the brunette laying on his back, but he quickly turned to face the Jonin with raised eyebrows.

"Yeah, Kakashi?"

"Why didn't you want to go on this mission with me? Was it really just because of your irregular cycle?"

Iruka scoffed, turning and facing away so all Kakashi could see was his back. He really didn't want to think about it, and Kakashi should've already known the answer to that question- the more he laid there trying to conjure up an answer, the more he took in Kakashi's scent, and the more it drove him absolutely insane. Iruka swore, he'd never met someone who smelled that good. It wasn't fair.

"You should know that it's because of my irregular cycle," He spoke through gritted teeth, pausing to dwell on it. He'd disliked Kakashi before, and maybe that was what Kakashi had been getting at, but if he was being honest, he wasn't sure what his feelings towards the silver-haired man even were anymore. "What other reasons would I have? I could go into heat any day now, and spending it alone in a different area was a scary thought because anyone could come along and take advantage of it, but... The thought of spending it with you is somehow more flustering."

"Because I'm an alpha," Kakashi said it like a statement, but it was obviously a question, as he simply sat there, waiting for Iruka to answer it.

"Basically, yeah."

"Is that why you've never liked me? Because I'm an alpha?"

"No, you're just kind of an asshole."

"Hey!" Kakashi exclaimed in mock offense, the bed creaking again, signaling that he had moved. Iruka turned back around to see Kakashi propping himself up on one elbow, feigning offense as he shot a glare in the Chunin's direction. 

"Well, that's what you get for assuming I didn't like you because of your status rather than because you're a complete douchenozzle," Iruka justified his harsh words as he sat up, leaning his back against the headboard and crossing his arms. "I mean, you're lazy, inconsiderate, unpunctual, rude, and-!" Beautiful. Kakashi Hatake was beautiful, and Iruka hated to admit it, but it was true. The silver-haired man's shoulders shifted just a bit as he moved, letting out an indignant huff from in between the lips Iruka wished he could see more of. Iruka could only sigh as the realization hit him that he might've actually been attracted to the man he'd openly disliked for years, raising a hand to rub the bridge of his nose between his thumb and pointer finger, eyes falling shut. "And you frustrate me. You frustrate me a lot, Kakashi."

"Oh."

The way Kakashi glanced up at him with a slight pout and puppy-dog eyes was nothing less than pitiful. Iruka shook his head.

"Don't look at me like that," To make things worse, Kakashi was wrapping his arms around Iruka's waist, resting his head in the brunette's lap, still looking up at the brunette like he was the most innocent being on the planet or something. "You're gonna make me feel all guilty.

"No, it's just that no one's had the guts to talk to me like that in a long time. I admire that in people."

"You sound like a masochist right now. You really like being talked down to?" 

Those words had been meant as an insult, but of course, Kakashi Hatake was as filthy and debauched as the books he read, so he only smirked and suggestively raised his eyebrows, probably ready to spit the worst response he possibly could to Iruka's jab-

"I'd prefer it in a steamier context, but sure, why n-"

"I was kidding, oh my God!" Iruka exclaimed, face burning red as images he'd rather not talk about ran through his mind. Embarrassed, he pushed Kakashi's head out of his lap and turned so his back was facing Kakashi yet again, only for the taller man's arms to remain around his waist. "I didn't need to know that."

"What, am I making you flustered, Iruka?" Kakashi teased because when wasn't he teasing Iruka, burying his face into the back of the brunette's neck. Though he was embarrassed, he found himself settling against the touch, somewhat enjoying the feeling of being held by Kakashi. "I think we've talked enough about me, what are you into? Maybe you could be the sadist to match my masochist?"

"Shut up and go to sleep before I really put you in pain," Iruka offered a dangerous chuckle, surprised when Kakashi's arms around his waist loosened, only for one of them to move up so he could use a hand to play with Iruka's hair. "And it won't be the good kind."

"Aw, you're no fun... Oh well," Kakashi muttered, tone playful as he ran his fingers through the ends of the younger man's silky locks. Iruka could already feel himself being soothed to sleep by the calming sensation, and a more confusing, questionable part of him thought that he could get used to this, as sudden and intimate as it was coming from Kakashi Hatake of all people. "Good night, Iruka."

"Good night, Kakashi."


	7. Seven

The next morning, when Iruka had woken up, he'd been able to feel the telltale signs of an oncoming heat; warmth that ran through his body like fire shooting every nerve he had, a cold sweat that wouldn't have been there normally, the odd desire to find an alpha's clothing to nest in. Upon waking up with his arms around Kakashi's body and his nose buried in the older man's neck, as nice as the smell of lavender and rain had been, he'd immediately thrown himself off of the bed, put on some decent clothes, and ran to his packed back to look for his heat-blockers.

Normally, he wouldn't take them during the summer. The summer was a time he usually set aside to allow his body to detox and his cycle to reset from being loaded with medications that forced his heats away, but he was willing to sacrifice it for a short amount of time and see what happened if it meant not going into heat with Kakashi right next to him in the middle of a hotel away from home.

So, he was digging through his bag, looking for the suppressants that he swore he'd packed. His heat hadn't hit full-fledged yet- he usually only felt like this a day or two before it actually hit, so he still had time, but he was quickly growing flustered. 

Iruka groaned, his flustered state quickly turning into genuine terror. Most of the time, he'd pack all of his heat and scent related supplies in one of the side pockets, but while his scent-masking shampoo, conditioner, soap, and deodorant were all there, his meds were not. At first, he thought that he might've put them in a different pocket, but as he threw everything out of his bag and frantically looked up down and sideways for something he was starting to believe wasn't there, he panicked.

He hadn't packed his heat-blockers.

"Iruka, what's wrong?"

Kakashi's hand was on his shoulder, and suddenly, everything was a million times worse. The silver-haired man had been asleep when Iruka had gotten out of bed, but he supposed that him throwing all of the contents from his bag at the surrounding walls was probably enough to wake everyone in the hotel up. 

"I think I forgot my suppressants," Iruka explained, trying to stay calm as he stood up and grabbed his belongings- anything to distract himself from the scent of rain and lavender, which was much more arousing than it should've been. 

"That's no good," Kakashi started, and as Iruka re-packed his belongings, slinging his backpack over his shoulders, he stood in front of the silver-haired man and looked up at him. He was only wearing a pair of pants and his shoes, no mask, shirt, or headband anywhere to be seen. "I'm going into rut soon. I thought I'd be home by then, but the rainstorm..." Iruka sighed at the mention of it. Rain was still pouring outside, and as much as he would've loved to stay in, he and Kakashi both knew better. "It'll still be bad out, but we should probably leave as fast as we can."

"Y-Yeah... I'm actually afraid I might go into heat by tomorrow if we don't-"

"What on-" Suddenly, Kakashi's facial expression twisted into what must've been a cross between confusion and curiosity, and he grabbed Iruka's wrist before leaning in and lightly dragging his nose along the length of Iruka's neck, taking in light breaths. "Hey, why's my scent on you like that?"

"What?" The brunette asked, voice shaky. Was Kakashi about to scent him? What the hell was going on?

"Your neck, and your face..." Kakashi lightly nosed Iruka's cheek, and then his hair, the gesture uncharacteristically intimate and something that was usually shared between mates or even really close friends. "Your hair, too. My scent's all over you and it has been for the past few weeks."

Iruka knew why Kakashi's scent was on him. The Jonin's scarf had been in his apartment, and Iruka had been using it for less than savory purposes- not that he'd admit that. So, he decided to lie instead.

"Well, we did sleep next to each other, and you said you're about to go into a rut. That's probably it."

"Fair point, it's just..." Almost as if snapping out of a trance, Kakashi yanked back and crossed his arms over his chest, stepping away from Iruka and walking across the room to grab his vest, shirt and, mask, all of which he pulled over his body and face before finding his forehead protector and slipping it on. "Sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it," Iruka laughed, giving a dismissive wave in hopes that it would ease the evident and growing tension in the room. It didn't. "We only paid enough cash for another night anyway, so let's pack and get out of here."

"I'm already packed," Kakashi muttered, picking up his bag and lazily pulling it over one shoulder. "So let's just go."

It was still tense and quiet as Iruka nodded, the two of them walking out of the room and shutting the door behind them. Going down the stairs that led to the lobby and exiting the hotel was quick work, and Iruka sighed in relief once they got outside and began to walk.

It was cold, very much so, and the rain pouring on him probably wasn't going to be a good thing in the long-run, but it relieved the heat that had started to surge through him and they were only some hours away from The Leaf Village, so maybe it wouldn't kill him.

Kakashi had a different thought process, apparently, because he was shooting Iruka a disapproving look the second they hit the road.

"Why don't you have a jacket or something?" Kakashi questioned, pulling his bag away from his shoulder and holding it in both hands. Iruka raised his eyebrows. Kakashi wasn't wearing a jacket either, simply allowing himself to be soaked by the rain just like Iruka was, his normally fluffy silver hair now drenching wet and falling flat.

"I didn't think about bringing one. I guess I was in a rush to go on the mission and get it over with, so I didn't pack that well."

"Here," Kakashi sighed, reaching into his bag and pulling out a dark, waterproof cloak that he must've brought for just this reason. Iruka felt guilty taking it since he knew that Kakashi probably hadn't packed a spare, but he knew that if he tried to say no, the silver-haired man would insist. So, he didn't argue, pulling the cloak over himself and making sure that the hood covered his head before offering Kakashi a small smile. "I don't want you getting sick. Now, let's get going before-"

"No need to remind me," Iruka cut the silver-haired man off, picking up his pace, and thankfully, the alpha matched his speed. He didn't want to think about what would happen if he went into heat or if Kakashi went into rut, so he wasn't going to have either of them talking about the possibilities, because suddenly, the thought of Kakashi sating him was becoming much more appealing than it should've been. He figured it was just the hormones talking... He hoped it was just the hormones talking. "I know what could happen."

With that, they fell silent, the only sound filling their ears being that of the rain hitting the ground, paired with their footsteps. 

Iruka could only pray that they'd get home in time...


	8. Eight

Iruka Umino was exhausted, nerves shot as him and Kakashi Hatake tumbled into his apartment through the front door, the silver-haired man shutting it behind them. His mind was foggy and clouded with the heat that was about to come on, so he was relieved to be home, slowly trudging in through his living room and to his bedroom with Kakashi following behind him.

But wait. Why was Kakashi following him? And more importantly, why didn't he care about why Kakashi was following him? Blinking, the brunette tried to clear his mind, pulling the cloak that Kakashi had given him hours before closer to his body. The walk had been long, tiring, and worrisome with him about to go into heat and Kakashi about to go into rut. Thoughts that he shouldn't have been thinking had plagued his mind through the entire journey, thoughts about Kakashi had plagued his mind through the entire journey, but he told himself that it was just his instincts reacting to him being in the presence of an alpha about to go into rut, and he pushed the thoughts about Kakashi ̶f̶u̶c̶k̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶h̶i̶m̶ ̶s̶e̶n̶s̶e̶l̶e̶s̶s̶ as far away from his mind as he possibly could. 

"Hey, I'm gonna head home and ride everything out by myself, but your heat's coming soon. Like, tomorrow soon," Kakashi started, and what he was saying was true. Iruka was struggling to put the heat off with Kakashi around, the older man's scent and presence making it so much worse. Thankfully, it hadn't hit full-force, and he was sure that he had at least a few hours left until it did- and a few hours was definitely enough time to get Kakashi out and make sure that he was secluded and able to get through it by himself. "Want me to pick you up some things at the store so you don't have to get out during it?"

"Would you really?" Iruka reached into his back pocket, pulling out some cash to give Kakashi for whatever he was willing to go and buy, but the silver-haired man shook his head and stepped back.

"Sure, but I've got it. What do you want?"

"Uh, just some basic groceries; fruit, ramen, bottled water..." Iruka trailed off, thinking about anything else he might need during his heat. It was basically an entire week that he wouldn't be able to go anywhere, so he wanted to make sure he had all of his bases covered. "Maybe lube if it isn't too embarrassing for you to buy."

"Sure thing. I'll be back."

With that, Kakashi exited through the window like he always did, and Iruka was left waiting there for an unexpectedly short amount of time. 

It wasn't too much longer when Kakashi returned, entering through the window of the apartment with two grocery bags in his hands and one hanging off of each arm- much more than Iruka would usually buy.

"You didn't have to buy that much," Iruka groaned, following the alpha into the kitchen. Kakashi didn't even bother dignifying his half-hearted complaint with a response, only setting the grocery bags on the kitchen counter and unloading them, placing most of the contents in the fridge and pulling out a bottle of lube, which he tossed to Iruka before going back to tending the rest of the groceries. The brunette caught the bottle as fast as he could despite the throw being unexpected, pushing it into one of his back pockets. Why was he so embarrassed? It was just lube. Feeling awkward, he decided to continue, ready to do and say anything if it got him thinking about something other than I'm about to go into heat and Kakashi Hatake is in my house. This feels really domestic, and for whatever reason, I actually don't mind it all that much. "And I can put them up-"

"Just let me do this. I don't mind."

"Thank you," Iruka sighed, watching as Kakashi finished organizing the groceries and shut the refrigerator. The Jonin walked back into Iruka's bedroom with the brunette following him, unusually nervous. "You know, it's weird... We acted like we hated each other before all of this started, but now-"

He cut himself off when he realized that Kakashi wasn't listening, wondering why. The silver-haired man usually listened to people, as uncaring as he could be sometimes. But then, Iruka noticed what had captured Kakashi's attention- his lavender-hued scarf, hanging off of the lonely little coatrack in front of Iruka's door. 

Before the Chunin could say anything, Kakashi was walking over to the coatrack, carefully pulling the scarf off and examining it with his one revealed eye.

"Is this my scarf?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, you left it here that one day! I've been meaning to give it back to you, haha-" He started to lie, but Kakashi cut him off almost instantly, rolling his eyes in what must've been disbelief.

"Yeah, right," Kakashi muttered, chuckling before burying his nose in the plush material and pulling back, taking a couple of long strides towards Iruka. The brunette only stood there, allowing Kakashi to look him over. The Jonin had taken in a few deep breaths, and Iruka realized that meant Kakashi could probably pick up on the fact that he'd been using the scarf to- "You've been nesting with it," Nesting. Usually, when an omega was about to go into heat, they'd nest with an alpha's clothes- assuming that they had an alpha's clothes accessible to them. Iruka didn't really have anything like that aside from the scarf, and just one scarf was a pretty depressing nest, but he supposed he couldn't call it anything but that. Kakashi was right. "That's why my scent's been all over you and your scent's all over the scarf, right?"

"S-Sorry..." Iruka apologized, a frown coming onto his face. He should've just thrown the scarf out or resisted it until he had the opportunity to give it back... Sure, it was his instincts that had told him to nest with it, but it was still pretty weird.

"You don't need to apologize, y'know," Kakashi reassured him, reaching down to smooth Iruka's hair back. "How cute." 

"Shut it," Iruka muttered, face burning bright red as Kakashi pushed the scarf into his hands, their fingers brushing together. Iruka looked up at him, terribly confused.

"You know what? It's all yours. Take the cloak, too. It might help," Iruka couldn't object, simply standing there and watching as Kakashi walked towards the window, opening it and giving him a dismissive wave before winking. "I'll see you later, Iruka."

With that, Kakashi left, and Iruka could only stand there, pulling the cloak closer to his body and burying his nose into the collar of it, taking in the familiar and comforting scent of rain and lavender.

"See ya later, Kakashi..."


	9. Nine

Iruka Umino was in heat, and it might've been the worst heat that he'd gone through in his entire life, which was saying a lot considering the fact that he'd been experiencing them since he was a teenager. Whatever logic that hadn't gone out the window at this point was telling him that it was because he hadn't been exposed to too many alphas in his daily life, and since Kakashi had been around him regularly and in his apartment, his scent had sent Iruka into overdrive. 

It was the third day. Usually, things started to calm down at this point, but right now, it seemed like they were only getting worse. Iruka was glad that no one was around to see him in the position he was currently in, on his back with his legs spread as far as they could go, Kakashi's cloak balled up and held against his nose with one hand as he could desperately huff the intoxicating scent of rain and lavender like a drug. The other hand was in between his legs, pumping his fingers in and out of his entrance, which was coated in his own slick. He hadn't even needed to ask Kakashi to buy that lube, and though it was only a precaution, he felt stupid for it now. He hadn't even touched it, let alone opened it, and the poor bottle was probably sitting all by itself in the top drawer of his nightstand.

It was too much and not enough, the repetitive motion of the brunette driving his fingers into himself at the quick, rough pace he was having him overwhelmed by pleasure, but at the same time, he wanted more- he wanted to be fucked, mated- he wanted-

"Kakashi!" He wanted Kakashi. "Oh, God..."

And then he realized that he'd called out Kakashi's name.

Iruka stopped moving his fingers almost immediately, groaning at the realization that was starting to come over him.

Oh, no.

No.

No, no, no.

N o.

Absolutely not...

He'd used Kakashi's scent to get through heat-fueled nights of desire, sure, but actually, purposefully thinking about Kakashi during it instead of just Kakashi's scent? That was uncharted territory.

Okay, so maybe his sudden change of heart when it came to Kakashi was weird. He'd disliked the man, and then he hadn't disliked the man, and he told himself it hadn't meant that much, but the realization that he might've been attracted to the Jonin for more than just his scent was currently looking over him like a shadow. 

A terrifying, terrible shadow. The impression he'd had of Kakashi before all of this wasn't the best one, but they'd developed a decent friendship recently, and Iruka was starting to fear that he might be feeling more for the older man than the simple I like his scent or He's a coworker that I've come to respect because he knows that I'm an omega but treats me just the same as he would've if I were an omega. Was the latter really a valid reason to like Kakashi, though? Surely, treating him the same as he would be treated if he were a beta was just basic human decency. He was entitled to that much, so he shouldn't have been impressed by it, but for whatever reason, he was.

And now, he was confused, because he was starting to think that he just liked Kakashi for being Kakashi, something that he would've scoffed at the idea of not too long ago. 

When it was just using Kakashi's scent to get through a heat, that was one thing. It was an alpha's scent. That was just instinct. But now, he was thinking about Kakashi and only Kakashi, the debauched thoughts running through his mind at a ridiculously rapid pace. A certain fantasy began to conjure in the forefront of his head, and desperate to get off, he went ahead and indulged himself in it.

Okay, so maybe Iruka was sexually- possibly romantically- attracted to Kakashi Hatake, and now that he was actually thinking semi-regularly, he wasn't sure where to go from there... His heat would end and life would return back to normal, but that meant he was going to be around Kakashi again, and that meant he'd be stuck dealing with whatever his feelings were. Should he say something, or should he keep it hidden? What was he supposed to do? What if Kakashi only thought Iruka liked him because he was an alpha and the brunette was an omega? What if Kakashi only thought that Iruka liked him for sexual reasons? What if he didn't return any of Iruka's feelings whatsoever- sexual or romantic? He wasn't sure what he'd do, and at this point, he wasn't really sure of anything. 

Oh, gods, he liked (loved?) Kakashi Hatake. Kakashi Hatake, the former ANBU current asshole-Jonin who couldn't treat his students right or bother showing up to anything on time. Kakashi Hatake, the weird and cold but kind and warm Jonin who Iruka had stupidly allowed himself to grow attached to. 

Why hadn't he been more careful with allowing Kakashi around him? What was happening? Why did he have to feel this way towards Kakashi of all people?

Slowly withdrawing his fingers from himself and jumping out of bed, he tossed the cloak onto the mattress and retreated to the bathroom, not even bothering with grabbing a towel as he turned the shower on to get the water warm and stared at himself in the large mirror.

Iruka looked like a complete and utter mess.

A lustful, disheveled, complete and utter mess; his hair down and strewn everywhere, brown eyes blown wide, a thin sheen of sweat coating his body. The scent of his own sweat and arousal mixed together was nearly enough to choke him, and though the thought of having a shower had only come up so he could get Kakashi off his mind, he was glad that he'd been smart enough to think about it, because a shower was exactly what he needed. He smelled disgusting.

The brunette was still hard and in need of release, but he was sick of getting himself off and sleeping nonstop, so he figured he'd try his best to ignore it for a bit- as well as ignore the part of him that was internally screaming about wanting Kakashi there. 

Letting out a small sigh, Iruka broke his gaze from his reflection and stepped into the shower, allowing his worries to be drowned in the lukewarm water, blatantly unaware that no other than Kakashi Hatake was having the exact same worries in the lone bedroom of his little apartment just across town.


	10. Ten

A week passed before Iruka was able to go out again, and when he finally did, he was relieved. It was halfway through the summer, so that meant he was closer to the day things would finally go back to normal. He'd load himself with suppressants and blockers, teach at The Ninja Academy when the school year restarted, and get back to his work as a Leaf Village ninja. Things would be good again, but he feared that when things returned to normal, his relationship with Kakashi would, too.

What if they stopped seeing each other as much? What if Kakashi never returned the feelings he had?

Iruka had been dwelling on it recently- during his heat and right after he'd ended, but he hadn't been able to deny the feelings that were becoming more and more apparent.

He liked Kakashi Hatake.

Sure, Kakashi was all of the negative things Iruka had called him out on before- rude, unpunctual, cruel towards his students, a pervert, and someone who often crossed boundaries that were there for a reason.

But, Kakashi was also all of the positive things Iruka was too scared to tell him about- kind, caring, passionate about his work, and someone who tried his best despite being handed shitty cards in life, even if he didn't act like it. 

Iruka hadn't liked Kakashi for a long time, but now he did, and he wasn't sure how to handle it.

The mature, logical side of himself told him to simply confess and see what happened. The worst he'd get was a no and some minor teasing from Kakashi's end, and maybe they'd stop talking, but they hadn't talked much in the first place before the Jonin had found out Iruka's true status. He'd survive.

However, the sensitive side of himself told him to bury his feelings in the back of his mind and keep them hidden there until the end of time. No was a short, simple word, but he knew it'd hurt coming from Kakashi. They'd only really just started talking semi-regularly, and he didn't want to ruin it, let alone somehow risk Kakashi spilling his secret to the entire village. He doubted the latter would happen, but still.

Speak of the devil and he shall appear- or, think of the devil, Iruka supposed.

He'd been on a stroll to get out of the apartment after spending way too long cooped up in there, and he hadn't been expecting to run into Kakashi, but he couldn't help feeling excited upon seeing the silver-haired man leaning against the front wall of one of the cafes in the village, reading one of his erotica books- not an unusual sight. 

Iruka approached the older man, standing in front of him and waving.

"Hey, Kakashi," The Jonin actually shut his book and put it into his back pocket, which had Iruka pausing for just a moment, confused. Kakashi almost never stopped reading just because someone talked to him... Oh well. "How've you been?"

"Good for the most part. You?"

It was awkward. Kakashi knew he'd been in heat, and Kakashi knew he'd used that scarf and that cloak to nest with. Iruka wondered if Kakashi had thought about it at all- part of him hoped Kakashi had, and the other him wanted to crawl in a hole and die at the mere concept.

"Ah, same."

Now that he knew he had feelings for Kakashi, being around him was suddenly so much worse.

"Do you..." Kakashi trailed off, straightening his posture a bit and crossing his arms as he averted his gaze, gesturing to the coffee shop they were standing in front of. "Wanna get coffee or something?"

"Sure."

He nodded, and with that, they walked into the coffee shop. It was relatively empty since it was late evening- they were in a ninja village, and most people at this time were either working, eating dinner somewhere, at their homes, or pouring into the local bars. The only other people in the store were the cashier and the barista.

Ordering and grabbing their coffees was quick work, and each of them had a coffee in hand as they made their way to one of the far back tables, Iruka with some vanilla contraption he'd seen on the menu that was loaded with sugar and a million flavors and add-ons, and Kakashi with a gross, bitter black coffee... He never really understood how people could like coffee by itself. 

The two men sat down across from each other, Kakashi pulling his mask down to drink. Thankfully, they were sitting in a more secluded area of the restaurant, so no one could see Kakashi's face through the window.

"So, what's up?"

"Nothing much," Iruka answered, feeling a bit awkward as he tried to come up with things to talk about. It was oddly tense. "By the way, I washed your cloak, and your scarf, too, so if you want them back-"

"Keep them," Kakashi gave a dismissive wave of his hand, taking another drink of his coffee before continuing. "And let me know if you need more."

"Why are you so eager to help me?" The brunette asked, tilting his head, confused by everything that had been going on recently and wanting to gauge exactly what Kakashi's feelings were. 

"It's the good samaritan thing to do, obviously."

"I feel like it's deeper than that."

"Is that what you're hoping for?" Kakashi teased, tilting his head as well. Iruka let out a frustrated huff and crossed his arms as he leaned back in his chair.

"Not necessarily," He responded. Kakashi downed the rest of his drink and pulled his mask back over his face. Iruka had hardly touched his own coffee, so he leaned forward again and took a sip from the straw, resting his elbows on the table. "I just know that you aren't the type to do something like this for no reason with no ulterior motive out of the kindness of your heart." 

"You really think I'm that cold?" The silver-haired man feigned offense, placing a hand over his chest.

"More confusing than cold. You don't do things without intending for a certain result to come from it- anyone who's ever talked to you know that."

"Well, if you must know," Kakashi started, the look he gave Iruka almost soft. "I'm not an omega, but going through ruts alone isn't pleasant, and from what I've heard, heats are ten times worse. I'm just a little sympathetic towards you. My intention really is just to make you feel better."

"How kind," Iruka scoffed, still terribly confused about what Kakashi's actions meant.

"You aren't acting very appreciative. I've always liked that attitude you have, though. I tend to surround myself with people who won't hesitate to try to beat my ass."

Iruka could only quirk an eyebrow. Kakashi did say he was a masochist that one time, so he couldn't say he was surprised by that statement.

"That's very telling, y'know."

"What, would you like to hear more?" Kakashi teased, running a gloved hand through his hair. "I think that blush is saying yes."

"Well, I'm saying no," Iruka decided to tease back for once, smirking and earning a laugh from Kakashi in return.

It was a sound he could get used to.

"I've gotta get going," Kakashi stood up, smiling under his mask. "But I'll see you around, Iruka."

"See ya," Iruka waved, and with that, Kakashi turned around and left.

The brunette sighed, taking his drink in his hands and leaning back in his chair. It was weird. Kakashi was always so casual about things, including his omega status, which was promising, as Kakashi was the type of person who'd tease others for those things. Kakashi had reacted well to his secret even though they hadn't been on the best of terms when it was revealed.

Maybe Iruka's other friends and colleagues would react well, too, and maybe he didn't need to hide. 

Maybe being an omega, even if other people knew, wasn't so bad after all...


	11. Eleven

Iruka Umino couldn't say that flickering into Kakashi's apartment was necessarily normal for him, but he figured that if he played it casual, Kakashi wouldn't think it was too abnormal- after all, the Jonin did it to other people all the time, including Iruka. 

He could call it payback.

Upon appearing in Kakashi's living room, Iruka took in his surroundings- the bookshelf, coffee table, and couch... It wasn't really decorated, more bland than anything else, but it wasn't like Kakashi to put that much effort into aesthetics anyways. The silver-haired man was sitting on the couch, legs crossed and mask off as he read one of his erotica books, wearing nothing but a pair of sweatpants, the fluffy hair that Iruka wanted to run his fingers through a complete and utter mess falling over the older man's eyes.

"Hey, are you busy?" Iruka asked, suddenly feeling incredibly awkward even though he was the one to enter Kakashi's apartment so suddenly... Maybe he should've just walked there and knocked on the door like a normal, functioning member of society instead of using the Transportation Jutsu."

"Look who's flickering into whose living room now," Kakashi teased, a sly smirk coming onto his face as he shut his book and set it on the glass coffee table, which was in front of the couch. "Anyways, I'm obviously not busy- just reading, and I don't mind taking a break from it if it's you who's taking up my time."

"What do you mean by that?" Iruka questioned, tilting his head as a blush spread on his cheeks. 

"I've reread this book a million times over and I can read just about any time I want," Kakashi explained, leaning back into the couch and offering the most genuine smile Iruka had ever seen on his pale face. He has dimples. Cute. " But talking to you is much more enjoyable, y'know. I like spending time with you." Iruka was about to comment on that, but before he could, Kakashi changed the subject. "So, what are you here for? I'm sure you have something specific that you've come to me for..."

"Listen," Iruka started, crossing his arms and averting his gaze. He'd had a whole speech in mind about this, but now that he was actually in the moment and ready to talk about it, his mind was short-circuiting him and he wasn't sure of exactly how to word it. "You're the only one who knows my secret. And I was thinking..."

"If we're gonna have whatever this talk is, you might as well sit down and make yourself at home." 

Deciding that he might as well, Iruka sat down on the opposite end of the couch and uncrossed his arms, trying his best to relax. Surprisingly, Kakashi moved to sit closer to him, leaning over and tucked a strand of chocolate-hued hair that had come loose from Iruka's ponytail behind his ear in a rare display of affection.

"I never really told anyone I was a beta directly, just took used scent-masking products to hide my status, so... I was thinking about just taking a break from them and let everyone figure out the truth."

"What brought this on?" Kakashi asked, blinking, his entire face screaming surprise. His eyes were already rather expressive by themselves, but Iruka quickly came to the conclusion that after hiding behind a mask for so long, Kakashi probably had no idea how to filter his facial expressions since he was used to them being hidden anyways.

"Uh, well..." Iruka paused but forced himself to make eye-contact with Kakashi, his dark brown eyes melting into charcoal. He briefly wondered how long he could get away with staring. "The whole reason I hid it in the first place was that I was afraid everyone would react really badly. I'd only just graduated from The Ninja Academy and started off as a Genin when I presented, and you know there was a stigma when we were kids about it..."

"Yeah, yeah, you're right. I understand," Kakashi sighed, quirking an eyebrow in curiosity and tossing an arm over Iruka's shoulder in a not-so-subtle manner, not that Iruka moved away from the touch or even minded it- he liked it, even, but he didn't comment on it, just waiting for Kakashi to say something else. "So now..."

"Yeah..." Iruka took the opportunity to stare because when else would he get to see the Kakashi Hatake shirtless like this, watching the subtle shift of the prominent muscles covered by pale, taut skin that came with every one of Kakashi's small movements. "I hide away in the summer because I need to take a break from the suppressants due to their side-effects. They fuck up my heats and make them super intense and irregular when I am off them, and if I'm on them for too many months at a time, they'll send me into heat anyways due to the build-up from blocking them for too long. So yeah, I'm just at a point where..."

"It's not worth the trouble anymore?"

"Yeah," Iruka nodded, knowing that his habits with the suppressants weren't healthy at all, especially now that he was getting older. Well, he wasn't really old, but he was in his mid-twenties, and hiding his heats forever was getting pretty ridiculous with how badly it fucked up his cycle. He would rather have a heat every few months than have a few consecutive ones during the summer just because he was so insistent on hiding, and as hard as the conclusion was to come to, he'd come to it after some serious thinking on the matter. "My doctor's been encouraging me to come off the suppressants for a while- she thinks it's better that I only take them when I'm on missions, which I guess is reasonable. It won't mess up my regular job if I just allow my heats to come naturally since it's only one week every few months that I have to miss, and you reacted pretty well, so I'd like to think that everyone else would too..."

"Yeah, I don't think that many people care these days, and you have the respect of everyone in the village. It'd be dumb of them to throw that away just because of your status, especially if you never actually directly lied to anyone."

"Right, right..." With that, Iruka stood, giving a small smile and a nod. "I think I just needed to talk that out, but I'll talk to you later?"

"Yeah, talk to you later... Actually, wait-" Kakashi cut himself off, standing up and gently grabbing Iruka's wrist. The brunette tilted his head, knowing that he could pull away, but staying there, curious as to what the silver-haired man was up to.

"Hm?"

"Can I walk you home?" Kakashi's cheeks burned bright red as he slowly dropped the Chunin's wrist, looking at the coffee table like it had suddenly become the most interesting thing in the world. Iruka blinked at that, wondering if maybe he actually had a chance with the older man. "We could maybe stop for ramen if you haven't had dinner yet... I think Ichiraku is still open."

Iruka's smile only grew. 

"I'd like that."


	12. Twelve

Iruka Umino had been sitting on one of the many benches in The Leaf Village, having just finished practicing some Jutsus at the training grounds and wanting to take a break. It was late at night, maybe a little too late for him to be out training, but he figured it didn't matter all that much. He'd had a good day.

He was ready to sit there for a few minutes and head home- that is until no other than Kakashi Hatake's voice rang through his ears.

"You're off your suppressants and scent-maskers," Iruka jumped at the sound, confused as to where it came from until he looked up to see Kakashi sitting in one of the branches in the large tree behind the bench- not an unusual occurrence, as that was one of Kakashi's favorite reading trees in the village. He'd sit there for hours on end with his weird porn and read from sunrise to sunset if he had the time, so Iruka really shouldn't have been surprised that he was there again. "You smell... Really good."

"Thanks, uh," Iruka moved over a bit to make room on the bench, and Kakashi hopped down from the tree to sit right next to him. The brunette began to mull over his day, which had actually gone rather well. No suppressants, no blockers, no products to hide his scent while walking around the village. He'd gotten a few stares, a few questions from people he knew, but no one had been rude about it, and it was actually pretty refreshing to use hygiene products that he liked the smell of instead of just ones that would cover his natural scent. "This morning was the first time I went using regular shampoo and body wash for the first time in a few years."

"So, how was the first day?" Kakashi casually tossed an arm over Iruka's shoulder- something the Chunin was growing increasingly used to. 

"Not bad," He answered, trying to be as subtle as he could as he leaned into Kakashi's touch. "I got a few questions but none of them were really rude or anything. It went better than I expected."

"That's good to hear. I'm happy for you."

"I saw Sakura in town. She had questions... Just about the suppressants and whatnot. I guess she is a medical ninja. Anyways... Yeah, it went well."

There was a moment of silence in which Kakashi looked up at the sky, the one eye of his that was revealed trained on the clouds that were in the sky, covering the moon and the stars.

"It's a nice night."

"A beautiful night," Iruka agreed, leaning back in the bench and chuckling as he felt the wind blow through his hair. It really was a beautiful night, and sitting next to Kakashi made it even more so. "Y'know, I... I'm glad you came in through my window that day. I was pretty mad at first, but a lot of good things have come from it."

"I guess we're finally seeing eye to eye, then..." Kakashi muttered, glancing over at him. Iruka wondered what he was going to say next. "Friends?"

Iruka could only bring himself to laugh at that. Friends. He definitely wanted more than friends, but he was also ecstatic at the thought of them being friends. He supposed love did things to people.

"Friends."

"What are you looking at me like that for?" Kakashi asked, which made the younger man jump and look away, now self-conscious. Had his face really given away that much?

"Like what?" Iruka crossed his arms, struggling to act like he wasn't nervous in the slightest despite the fact that his anxiety was practically screaming at him to escape this situation.

"If I didn't know better, I'd think you were in love with me or something," Kakashi teased, earning a glare from the shorter man in response. "Calm down, I'm just kidding. It would explain the sudden change in how you act around me, though."

"Quite the conspiracy theorist, aren't you? Jumping to conclusions like that out of absolutely nowhere..."

"No need to get defensive," The Jonin shrugged. "I wouldn't blame you for it, I mean, have you seen me?"

"So cocky."

"What can I say?"

"...Part of me feels like you use that as a mask," Iruka sighed, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. "Like, you put on this aloof, confident facade to hide your feelings from people and change the subject when it's inconvenient for you."

"Perceptive as always," Kakashi being Kakashi immediately went to change the subject again, now using his typical strategy of complimenting Iruka in an attempt to fluster him enough and make him forget what he was talking about before. So manipulative sometimes... "I'm surprised you aren't a Jonin yet."

"I have no desire to be. I'd do just about anything for the village, but I'd rather not be stuck going on S-rank missions all the time like you are. I have kids to teach all the time except for in the summer, so I need to be around for them."

"That's understandable. I admire how passionate you are about your job."

"You loading me with compliments is a little suspicious, Kakashi,"

"What, I can't be nice to you? Something tells me you don't get enough compliments in your daily life. Maybe I should fix that."

"Please don't..." Iruka groaned, burying his face in his hands. "You're so embarrassing sometimes."

"Oh, sorry," Kakashi let out a nervous laugh and looked away, running a gloved hand through his silvery locks before meeting Iruka's eyes again, smiling weakly underneath his mask. "I've actually got a mission to go on first thing tomorrow morning-"

"Where to?" 

"Mist Village, S-rank. That's all I can tell you since it's classified and all that nonsense," The brunette's heart dropped at that. He stopped for just a little too long, and it was clear that Kakashi was quick to notice the evident concern that had taken over his face. "Don't look so worried. I'll be back in a week or two, okay?"

"Alright..." Iruka mustered the courage to look Kakashi in the eye, grabbing the older man's hand. "Be safe, okay?"

"I will," The Jonin nodded, intertwining their fingers and giving Iruka's hand a reassuring squeeze. "Promise."

"Then you should get going. Make sure you're packed and catch some shut-eye."

With that, Kakashi pulled his hand away and nodded again. Iruka didn't want to let go, but he did, sighing as Kakashi waved goodbye and left. 

The brunette was alone on the bench, caught up in his thoughts. Surely, Kakashi would come back safe. He always did.


	13. Thirteen

Kakashi did, in fact, come back a week later, but the way he made an entrance wasn't the way Iruka had expected him to- though, he really shouldn't have been surprised by it, as flickering into people's houses and apartments with a Transportation Jutsu was apparently just something Kakashi did, like how the silver-haired man burst in through people's windows or showed up in the sturdy branches of trees that were in their general vicinity.

When Kakashi flickered into his bedroom room this time, Iruka didn't jump, but he did have to admit that he was a little bit taken aback to see Kakashi looking so rugged and- again- shirtless, a sight that Iruka was discovering he didn't mind too much.

He didn't mind it at all, actually. He maybe even loved it.

Still, he felt the need to scold Kakashi for his lack of manners like he always did, not really sure why he bothered since the silver-haired man never listened but knowing that it would be weird not to.

"Kakashi!" The brunette stood up from his bed where he'd been sitting, mulling over the ninja handbook he'd just read; a book that he was debating on using to teach his class with during the upcoming school year, though he wasn't too sure about it. "You have to stop scaring me like that. What are you doing here?"

"Couldn't sleep. I got back from my mission a few hours ago."

"I see," Iruka sighed, and it was silent for a moment as he turned back to where the book and his notes were sitting on his blankets, picking them up and moving them to sit on top of his nightstand before glancing over at Kakashi, who had taken a couple of steps closer. 

"I knew you wouldn't be asleep, so..." The brunette used the quick pause to take in Kakashi's appearance, bandaged hands and gauze on one of his hips. He must've received some minor injuries during that mission, but Iruka was just glad that he'd returned safely. He'd never been on an S-rank, but he knew what people said about them- they were usually assassination missions, scary, filled with death and gore, usually against ninjas from other villages that were considered serious threats. So, Kakashi's life had been in danger and the thought was scary to him, but he also understood that Kakashi was probably vulnerable right now, even if he didn't act like it. No matter how many missions or wars or deaths they went through, the feeling was almost always raw and damaging. It wasn't just something one could be immune to. "I'm here."

"I was just about to go to bed, though you're free to sleep with me if you'd like," At that, the absolute downtrodden look on Kakashi's face was replaced with a suggestive smirk. He wasn't wearing his mask again. Iruka felt like the luckiest person on the planet. "Not like that, you pervert."

With that, he walked over to the opposite wall, flicking the bedroom light off so the room would be dark aside from the moonlight that was pouring in through his sheer curtains. Then, he trailed over to his bed and slowly crawled onto the mattress and under the covers, Kakashi following behind him. If anything, he could appreciate the warmth as he settled, the taller man's body quickly caging his in, spooning him with Iruka's fluffy blankets on top of them.

"...Don't you think this is really weird?" Kakashi asked, tightening his arms around Iruka's waist. The brunette turned around in the other man's hold so he could face him, looking down at dark, expectant eyes.

"Don't I think what is weird?" Iruka responded, moving a hand to run through Kakashi's hair. The Jonin's scent of rain and lavender was present as always, maybe a little stronger than usual, and Iruka felt a flash of heat run through his body, but tried his best to ignore it in favor of whatever this conversation was. 

"This. Us."

"You're going to have to be more specific, Kakashi."

"Our relationship didn't start out bad, but our personalities just turned out so completely different that we clashed because I'm insensitive and you're oversensitive if we're being frank," Almost like he was in need of some sort of touch, Kakashi moved a hand to grab one of Iruka's, intertwining their fingers. "So we kind of awkwardly avoided each other because we just didn't get along and didn't have any connections aside from our students, but then I decided I wanted to fix things and tumbled into your apartment that one day, only to find out that I have really bad timing because you were apparently in heat."

"...Your timing is really bad, but what's your point here?" Upon seeing how Kakashi's expression went blank, Iruka wondered if the answer to his question was really that obvious until he realized that Kakashi figuring out his feelings might've been a very real possibility. 

"Well, I found out your secret and at first I thought things improved just because you were afraid I'd spill, but the way we've been acting towards each other..."

Iruka froze. Was Kakashi about to confess to having feelings for him? Or was he trying to urge Iruka to confess? Oh, God. Why was he suddenly so nervous?

"What about it?"

"I've enjoyed our time together," Kakashi admitted, burying his face in Iruka's shoulder for just a moment before looking up at the brunette. There was a heavy blush on the Jonin's pale cheeks, contrasting against the moonlight that brought out the velvety red hue. "The nights like this. I don't know how you feel, but I feel at home with you."

"Me too," Iruka stopped for a moment, looking for a way to change the subject. He didn't want to give himself away right now- surely, there would be a better time for it in the near future. "I was wondering something."

"Hm?"

Kakashi looked up at him, charcoal eyes filled with something he didn't quite recognize, and the feeling of Oh, I'm so in love with him hit him like a truck, but he managed a proper response regardless.

"Why couldn't you sleep?"

"My mind was racing," Kakashi gave Iruka's hand a small squeeze, almost like he was making sure the brunette was still there. Iruka ran his thumb over the back of the older man's knuckles in response. "I don't know why, but it tends to do that, and it's a little clearer when you're around. I guess people in our profession have a lot to think about."

"I have nights like that, too. I know things are complicated, but you can always come here."

"Thank you," Kakashi sighed before letting go of Iruka's hand and wrapping his arms back Iruka's waist, pulling him even closer, if that was even possible. "We should probably sleep."

"Yeah..." The Chunin allowed his eyes to fall shut as he reached down, running his fingers through Kakashi's silvery hair. "Good night."

"Good night."


	14. Fourteen

When Iruka woke up the next morning, Kakashi Hatake by his side, he cursed himself at the feeling that took over his body. It was hot, too hot, and when he realized what was going on, he wanted to crawl in a hole and die. He'd been laying in his bed, arms wrapped around Kakashi, who was sleeping peacefully.

And now, his heat was kickstarting itself with hardly any warning. 

He thought he'd felt that familiar flash of heat the night before, but he'd ignored it in favor of talking to Kakashi like an idiot, and now he was stuck. Whether he stayed in bed or got up, Kakashi would eventually wake and smell the heat and arousal that was rolling off of him in waves, so there was really nothing he could do to salvage the situation.

The omega slowly withdrew from Kakashi's touch, sitting up and allowing the blankets to pool in his lap, a stream of curses leaving his mouth at the realization that there was nothing he could do except for maybe tell Kakashi to leave. He didn't want that, though. He wanted Kakashi to stay, but would Kakashi want that, too?

"Iruka?" At the sound of the alpha's voice, Iruka nervously squeezed his thighs together, able to feel slick gathering at his entrance. Kakashi had simply allowed his eyes to flutter open, peering at Iruka curiously from where he laid only a couple of inches away. The brunette figured he was still waking up and not fully aware of the situation. "What's wrong?"

"So you know how I came off the blockers and suppressants recently?" 

"Yeah," Kakashi answered, eyes now blown wide as he sat up and rested a hand on Iruka's shoulder, pale skin much colder than Iruka's- even through his shirt, he could feel it, his senses increased tenfold, and when he took in another breath, he was overwhelmed by Kakashi's scent of rain and lavender, which had permeated through the room to signal that the silver-haired man was just as turned on as he was. 

"My cycle still isn't regular. My doctor said it would take another heat to pass before things started returning to normal, and..." Iruka struggled to keep his mind clear, his instincts screaming at him to take advantage of the alpha that was right in front of him and sate his heat, but he remained calm and continued to explain. "I think your scent is sending me into it again."

"Fuck," Without any warning, Kakashi wrapped his arms around Iruka to cage their bodies together before burying his face in the brunette's neck and taking in a deep breath. Iruka had never had that done to him- that being scenting, an act that was usually shared between mates where they'd smell each other's scent glands during a heat or a rut. Of course, any restraint he had flew out the window after that. Iruka's movements were shaky, but he managed to wrap his arms around the older man's neck in an attempt to pull him closer. Kakashi Hatake was scenting him. Almost as if snapping out of a trance, Kakashi froze and pulled away, blinking. "S-Sorry, I don't know what got into me just now-"

"Do it again," Iruka whispered, voice nearly cracking as he placed a hand on the back of Kakashi's head. "Please... It felt really nice."

Seeming relieved to have permission, Kakashi rushed back to where he'd been, burrowing his nose into Iruka's scent glands and inhaling like his life depended on it. 

"You smell so fucking good," Deciding to take charge, the former Anbu tugged at Iruka's shirt, taking it off and aggressively tossing it across the room before continuing his motions. "I don't know how I kept myself from doing this for so long."

"You smell good, too." Iruka nuzzled into his friend's hair, admiring both the texture of the silvery locks and the way the Jonin smelled of rain and lavender- so intoxicating that Iruka thought he might choke on it, but still so good that he almost wanted it to kill him. "Wow..."

Without any warning, Kakashi rolled over so he could be on top of the brunette, carefully pinning him down, those gorgeous charcoal eyes running up and down the length of the Chunin's face and body.

"How far can I take this?"

"As far as you want," Iruka breathed and threw caution to the wind. He wanted Kakashi, and he didn't care what the consequences were- at least not right now.

"And you're not just saying that because you're in heat, right?"

"If I'm being honest, I've thought about it a lot recently, even when I haven't been in heat. I guess you could call it..." Iruka gave a nervous laugh, trailing off as his mind raced with the thoughts he'd been having about the older man as of late. "A fantasy of mine."

Kakashi laughed, his tone dark and charcoal eyes calculating. Iruka sunk into the mattress and gulped, feeling vulnerable but excited underneath the older man's gaze.

"If you've thought about it, tell me."

The brunette's mind was muddled and cloudy as he tried to figure out exactly what Kakashi meant by that. His eyebrows furrowed together in confusion.

"Tell you what?" 

"What you want me to do," The silver-haired man answered, a huge smirk taking over his face. "Tell me the things you've thought about me. You've thought about me while you're in heat, right? Like this, but now I'm actually here. Your scent's probably gonna carry through the whole apartment complex with how strong it is right now. Am I affecting you that much?"  
At that, Iruka froze, raising his hands up to cover his blushing face, though Kakashi only pulled them away. Iruka, unable to look anywhere else, met the alpha's eyes.

"God, this is embarrassing."

"Tell me what you want or I'll stop," Kakashi warned, but trailed his hands down to the waistband of the Chunin's pajama pants, idly teasing it with his fingers. Iruka was confused- Kakashi's scent screamed arousal, but his demeanor was calm and collected.

"Just fuck me, please," The brunette whined and reached up to tangle his fingers in Kakashi's hair as he squeezed his eyes shot to avoid making eye contact with the Jonin. "Knot me, fill me up-"

"C'mon, keep going."

"Fuck," To Iruka's delight, Kakashi shoved his own pants and boxers down his knees, shuffling on the mattress so he could pull them off his ankles and throw them across the room. His hard cock sprang free, long and thick with a couple of veins that ran up the sides. There was a small trail of silver hair above the shaft, well-groomed and shaped. He moved to take his own pants off, too, but Kakashi grabbed his hands and stopped him. "Please, please just give me it-"

"Alright, alright," Kakashi paused and reached for Iruka's pants and underwear, yanking them down and tossing them across the room as well so he could have full access. "But I'm going to be the one doing all the work if I have anything to say about it, and you're telling me about that fantasy of yours when we're done, okay?"

"Okay," Iruka gave a frantic nod, which seemed to earn him Kakashi's fingers in response. The silver-haired man was spreading his legs, pressing two slender digits there and using the slick that had already gathered there as lubricant so he could slip them in. Iruka let out a small whine in response and spread his legs further to accommodate, eyes fluttering shut. Kakashi had quickly begun to pump his fingers in and out, the motions creating a blissful drag against his inner walls that he found utterly intoxicating. The older man's fingers were longer and more skilled than his own, and he would've moved into the touch if Kakashi wasn't using his spare hand to hold Iruka's hips down to prevent it. "Hn... Don't stop! Kakashi!"

God, Kakashi was gorgeous like that, sitting on his knees between Iruka's legs and staring on with nothing but desire written on his face, silvery hair hanging in front of his eyes and prominent muscles visibly shifting and flexing under taught skin with every one of his movements.

"I've wanted this," The Jonin confessed, tone low and filled with something Iruka couldn't quite put his finger on- maybe want, or need, or even... Love. No, that was too much, Iruka thought. He could hope, though, couldn't he? "Ever since that day I walked in on you. I wanted you before that-"

"But you couldn't smell me before that...?" Iruka opened his eyes just to glance up at Kakashi, who was looking away.

"I didn't want you just because of your omega status. I wanted you- omega, beta, alpha, no-gen, whatever," The passionately spoken words made Iruka's heart swell, the blush on his cheeks only darkening. "I wanted you."

Slowly, Kakashi withdrew his fingers.

"Kakashi," Iruka started, another flash of heat running through his body. His mind was growing cloudier and cloudier by the second, he was so aroused that it was starting to hurt, and he just wanted relief. "I want you so bad. Please, please, please-"

"Shush," The silver-haired man kissed Iruka's forehead before pushing the head of his cock against the omega's entrance, slowly entering him. Iruka let out a soft moan and tossed his head back into the pillows as his walls were stretched, the feeling of Kakashi's length touching all of the sensitive spots inside of him making his mind go haywire. "I've got you, omega..."

"Alpha," Iruka whined and turned his head to the side so he could momentarily avert his gaze. It hadn't even been that long, but he was sensitive and this was the first heat he'd spent with another person, and it was Kakashi that was rocking his hips into the shorter man's pliant body, the sound of skin slapping skin prominent in the room. "Ah...!"

A few minutes in and he was already cumming for the first time that night, body twitching and overloaded with pleasure as Kakashi's length hit his sweet spot. The brunette clung to his friend's body, cool, pale skin pressed up against his and hard length still driving into him. When he hit his orgasm, he was cumming on both his and Kakashi's stomach without any warning, earning a satisfied growl from the alpha.

"Oh my..." Though Iruka was bashful, he was relieved to find that Kakashi seemed even more excited than he already had been by how sensitive the omega writhing underneath him really was. "I guess the heat hit you pretty hard, huh? Or is that just me?"

"Shut your mouth," The Chunin spat, terribly embarrassed as Kakashi looked down at him with those devilishly teasing eyes, wearing a smirk to match it. "You're such a tease sometimes..."

"You're pretty flexible," Kakashi chuckled darkly as he sat up a little bit and grabbed Iruka by the underside of his knees, tilting his hips up. The brunette gasped at the new angle, still sensitive from his first orgasm as Kakashi pushed his knees back until they were brushing against his chest. "I guess you are a ninja, so that's to be expected, huh? Makes sense... Still, even I'm not this flexible. I could probably position you however I wanted, but I'll have to save that for next time..." At the mention of a possible 'next time', Iruka perked up, face painted bright red as he stared up at the alpha and made eye contact with him, soft brown melting into sharp charcoal. "God, you're really something, you know that? So gorgeous."

"Kakashi..." The omega squirmed at both the praise and the sensation of being filled, lifting himself up onto his elbows so he could rock his hips back into the alpha's, his breaths leaving in the form of desperate pants that Kakashi seemed to be relishing in. "Fuck!"

"Here," Without much warning, the silver-haired man pulled out and moved his hands to Iruka's hips, using the grip to flip him over. Iruka was a bit surprised that Kakashi could lift him so easily, but he didn't comment on it, steadying himself on his knees and forearms as Kakashi gave his ass a quick slap. The brunette gasped at the oddly arousing, stinging sensation, moaning again when Kakashi sunk back into him, thick cock stretching his walls out again. "You like it like this?" The Jonin questioned, wrapping an arm around Iruka's waist to pull him closer as he fucked him from behind. "There you go..." 

"Please-"

"Please what? Use your words, baby."

"Knot me," Right when Iruka had said those words, Kakashi gave a particularly sharp thrust, which had his knot finally breaching the younger man's heat and pushing inside. He was close, so close, and all he wanted was for Kakashi to break and cum inside of him until he was stuffed full, but all he could do was lay there and beg for it. "I need it!"

"Fuck," Kakashi groaned, nipping at Iruka's neck and tightening his arm around Iruka's waist, using his hand to wrap his fingers around the shorter man's length and giving him a handjob as he fucked him even harder. "Who am I to say no when you beg so pretty? I'll give you what you want," And finally, it became too much. Iruka lost the strength in his arms and allowed them to fall so he could bury his face in one of the pillows to muffle the moans that were coming out as a result of the older man's cock being driven in and out of his ass at such a rough and rapid pace. "Knot you till you can't think straight...!"

"Yes," Iruka practically sobbed as his legs began to shake with the orgasm that took him over once he felt Kakashi finally finish inside of him, knot swollen and pressing against hot and velvety walls to keep them locked together as he pumped the brunette full of his hot, white cum. Iruka struggled to stay upright, but Kakashi was keeping him up on his knees with that arm wrapped around his waist. "Kakashi!"

Finally, Iruka was able to breathe, admiring the way his and Kakashi's scents had mingled together as the silver-haired man pressed kisses against the sunkissed skin on his back, stopping when he reached the large scar there- the one he'd received from Mizuki when he'd took that huge shuriken in the back just a few years before. It had healed pretty bad, so it was still sensitive, but Kakashi being as sweet as he was treated it rather gently, softening the pressure of his lips against it.

"Everything about you is so perfect," The Jonin praised, still nuzzling into the Chunin's back as his knot began to swell down. "You did so well for me."

Once they were settled and Kakashi's knot had gone down enough for it not to hurt, he slowly pulled out and plopped down on the bed, using his arm around Iruka's waist to pull him all the way down onto the mattress as well. 

"Thank you."

"I wasn't too rough with you, was I?" Kakashi questioned, gently smoothing Iruka's hair back and examining his face. Iruka, who was still completely blissed out and coming down from his post-orgasm high, could only nod.

"You were perfect. Don't worry about me too much."

"You should rest," The silver-haired man cuddled right up to Iruka, wrapping his arms around the brunette's waist and pulling him closer. "We can talk later, okay?"

That made Iruka nervous. Now that his mind wasn't as clouded, the consequences of what they'd just done rained down on him. He had just had sex with Kakashi Hatake, the man he'd initially hated but had recently realized he was in love with, and he wasn't even sure if Kakashi loved him back. Hell, for all he knew, the former Anbu had only sated his heat because of his alpha instincts. 

Still, though... He figured he could worry about it later. For now, they needed to get some rest. 

"Okay."


	15. Fifteen

A day had passed since his heat has started, and Iruka was feeling a little bit better. For the most part, they'd have sex and sleep with the occasional meal or bath in between, all of which Kakashi fixed for him despite Iruka insisting that he could do it himself. 

They'd just gotten out of a shared bath, and though it had been a whole day, they had yet to actually discuss things. Iruka had questions. What were Kakashi's feelings? Was there a chance they'd end up becoming mates after this? He wasn't sure, but he was afraid to ask, and he'd been waiting for the older man to bring it up to no avail.

They were laying in bed together, Iruka with one of Kakashi's t-shirts on and the silver-haired man with a pair of pajama pants hanging loosely off of his sharp hips. Kakashi was laying on his back, Iruka curled up to his side, head resting on the Jonin's chest as he looked up at him.

"Hey, Kakashi..." The brunette started, blinking when Kakashi leaned down to gently kiss his lips, still dangerously close to him when he pulled away after a long moment. 

"You still have a fever."

"Yeah, I know," Iruka murmured, burying his face into the slightly scarred skin of Kakashi's for just a moment to take in the familiar, comforting scent of lavender and rain mixed in with his own flowery herbal tea. The taller man was much colder than him, but that was just because of his heat making his body temperature rise. "It won't go away till my heat's over."

For the first time in a long time, Kakashi looked serious, dark eyes contemplating something and kissable lips not tugged into the cocksure grin he usually wore.

"Do you want me to stay with you?"

"Huh?"

"Through your heat, I mean. It lasts for an entire week. Do you want me to stay with you through it?" The obvious answer was yes- if Kakashi left, he'd be in pain for the rest of his heat and he didn't really want to deal with that if the option of having Kakashi there was available. "I could keep... You know."

"Ah, right," The Chunin chuckled, slightly embarrassed. "I'd actually like that..."

"I'll stay, then."

"Thank you," Kakashi nodded, and things went silent for a moment, but he wasn't tired enough to go back to sleep again, so he decided to change the subject. "Y'know, I've heard a lot of horror stories from other omegas about the first time they spent their heat with an alpha, but... This has been pretty great."

"I'm glad to hear that I'm not a horror story for you to tell," Kakashi laughed and sat up, Iruka doing the same so they could face each other as the former Anbu ran a hand through his hair and continued to talk. "I know I've heard a few really scary ones, like this one Jonin I met from The Sand Village said her first was an absolute nightmare- something about how her alpha's knot kept popping super early so she basically suffered the whole week even more than usual because he couldn't make her finish."

"That's... Depressing. Yeah, I've heard a few like that, too."

"Are you good right now?"

"I think so," Iruka answered, but winced when he felt a sharp pain in one of his shoulders- Kakashi had pinned his arms above his head for a good half hour during one of their earlier rounds, and he thought he'd pulled something. He tried to ignore it and ended up raising the opposite hand to rest on that shoulder regardless, soothingly running his hand over it, though it didn't do much.

"You pulled something, c'mere..." Kakashi rolled his eyes, grabbing Iruka by the hips and practically pulling him into his lap. The younger man squirmed a bit but didn't object at the feeling of Kakashi's solid chest pressed against his back, strong hands immediately moving to massage his back and shoulders. 

It was nice- thick, soothing fingers digging into all of his tense and painful spots, working through the sore muscles and bringing them relief. 

"Oh, you don't have to do that..." Iruka insisted but didn't make any move to stop Kakashi, tilting his head back a bit to rest it on the alpha's shoulder.

"Does it not feel good?" Kakashi questioned, tone low as he tilted his head.

"No, it actually feels amazing, I was just-"

"Then let me take care of you," The silver-haired man paused to reach over and grab the glass of water on the nightstand, holding it to the brunette's lips. "Drink. You need to stay hydrated." 

Iruka listened and took a few sips, swallowing and allowing the cool liquid to quench his thirst. When he was done, Kakashi set the glass back down, wrapping his arms around the Chunin's waist from behind and burying his face in the back of his loose, silky brown hair. 

He paused, thinking about what to say next. Surely Kakashi wouldn't be acting like this if he didn't care. No, if he didn't care, he'd simply have gotten himself off and left, or maybe stayed there for the week but not done any of the soft, tender things he had been- like he was now. He at least cared, right? 

"Kakashi... You know," Iruka sighed and allowed his eyes to flutter shut as Kakashi's hands went to rest on his hips. "I didn't like you all that much before. I mean, I had mixed feelings. You gave me some really good advice before I started teaching Naruto that one time, saved me and him that other time, but we never got along after that. I was always frustrated by you for one reason or another- your shitty mission reports, you failing all the students I graduated and sending them back to The Ninja Academy, the way you treated the kids in general, the Chunin exams... But I've come to realize that you aren't so bad," He admitted, taking one of Kakashi's hands in his own and giving it a gentle squeeze. "We've had our bumps in the road, but I think you're a caring person. You mean well, as cold as you act, and I feel like you only act that way because you have a lot of things you're afraid of giving away, but I want you to know... I can take everything you have to give." 

"I'm sorry about that, by the way," Kakashi admitted, awkwardly clearing his throat.

"About what?"

"The Chunin exams. You were right- none of them were ready for that. Naruto only passed the first stage with pure luck, Sakura's combat abilities weren't honed enough and she chopped her hair off, and worst of all, Sasuke encountered Orochimaru and got the curse mark, so now he's gone. If I would've listened to you, none of that would've happened- Everyone should've listened to you then. The only three out of all twelve from us four's cells who were physically and emotionally ready were Lee, Ino, and Shikamaru." 

It was certainly weird. Thinking back on how Kakashi had embarrassed him in front of the other Chunin and Jonin in the village when the Chunin exams had come around and The Third Hokage had asked for Genin recommendations, he should've been angry like he always was when the memory came up, but now, he could only sigh. Kakashi seemed to feel guilty for too many things that weren't really his fault. Sure, none of those students had been ready for the exams and completely brushing Iruka's opinion aside had been a little disrespectful in the brunette's opinion, but Kakashi couldn't have possibly known about all of the disasters that were going to come from that exam, and he already blamed himself for things that weren't his fault far more than he should've.

"You didn't know," Iruka gave his hand a brief but reassuring squeeze. "I don't know what you were thinking, but you meant well. Plus, if all of those kids hadn't been there to help during The Konoha Crush, I don't know what would've ended up happening."

"This has gotten a little dark for comfort," Kakashi chuckled and pulled back for just a moment, shaking his head. "Let's talk about something else, maybe more light-hearted..."

"Like what?"

"I don't know, what do people usually talk about?" Iruka had to suppress a laugh at that, unable to help but find the question cute. "What's your favorite color?"

"Purple," Iruka answered, lavender and rain on his mind yet again. "Yours?"

"Probably green..." 

Iruka paused, glancing back to stare at Kakashi, whose head was now on his shoulder. The silver-haired man was smiling, and though they hadn't gotten to cover their feelings to the extent that Iruka had hoped, maybe this conversation was progress, and he was happy with it.

"This is off-subject, but your smile's really pretty. You should wear the mask less often."

"Thank you... I can make dinner later, but you're scent's spiking again. How about another round?"

Iruka nodded, turning around in Kakashi's lap so they could face each other as that familiar flash of heat ran through him, his mind going cloudy.

With that, he slammed their lips together, figuring he could tell Kakashi that he loved him some other time.


	16. Sixteen

It was the last day of Iruka Umino's heat. It usually only lasted about a week, and today was day seven, plus, he could feel the heat slowly leaving his mind and body. It was bothering him less, but regardless of that, it was still nice to have Kakashi- who had stayed throughout the whole week- there. If you'd told him months ago that he would've been getting his brains fucked out by Kakashi Hatake, he probably would've laughed in your face and told you to bugger off, but...

Well, there he was.

It was the last day, but he hadn't been able to ignore the last twinge of desire that lingered, so just for the hell of it, him and Kakashi had decided to go for another round or two. He was currently being screwed into the mattress so hard that he was sure there would be an imprint of his back in it, no other than the silver-haired alpha himself on top, a firm hold on Iruka's sides as his lips moved messily against the brunette's.

"K-Kakashi," The omega whined between kisses, reaching up for Kakashi and digging his nails into the older man's back, which earned him a pleased sigh in response. The alpha had started out slow, but he was quickly picking up the pace, and Iruka could feel himself slowly reaching climax. "Alpha-"

"Hm?" Kakashi hummed, licking his lips as his dark eyes narrowed just a bit. He'd heard Iruka perfectly fine, but he just wanted to tease because when didn't he want to tease? "Use your words, omega,"

"Mark me!" He exclaimed, screwing his eyes shut so he could avoid looking at Kakashi while saying such lewd things- if only for a moment, anyways. "Knot me, mark me, make me yours, please...!"

Mark.

Bondmarks. Basically, if you wanted to make your relationship with someone permanent or at least semi-permanent (long-term), one of you would mark the other or you would mark each other with your canine teeth so you could carry your lover's bite- it mainly existed to make someone you were with your official mate, and to show someone's relationship status so any other potential mates would be deterred if they were already taken. 

It had been on Iruka's mind, sure, but he hadn't meant to actually let it slip, and he was unsure of how Kakashi would feel about the thought...

"You want me to mark you?" Thankfully, the Jonin seemed more than thrilled at the idea, an almost predatory grin that turned Iruka on much more than it should've taking over his kiss-bruised lips. "As in a bondmark? Like, you want me to be your mate? Long-term?"

"Yes..." The teacher nearly sobbed in pleasure, feeling that it was both too much and not enough. The thought of Kakashi actually marking him made it all the more exciting. "God, yes-"

"Fuck, I hope you don't regret this one-" Kakashi practically snarled before going straight for Iruka's neck, still rapidly fucking into his pliant body without restraint as he sunk his teeth into the supple, sunkissed skin. The older man's canines were enough to draw blood, as was the custom when leaving a bondmark when you were an alpha, but oddly enough, Iruka found the feeling nothing less than divine. It hurt, sure, but it felt good, that feeling only increased tenfold when Kakashi finished leaving the mark and paused to run his tongue over the wound, stopping the bleeding. "Who do you belong to?"

"Y-You!"

"No, say my name."

A bit embarrassed, Iruka could only bring himself to whimper and let out a small murmur, voice already threatening to crack from all of the noise he'd been making through the course of the past week.

"Kakashi..."

...He felt bad for his neighbors. They'd certainly have some choice words for him when he finally got around to leaving his apartment post-heat.

"Louder," Despite his poor neighbors, Kakashi only encouraged it, rocking his hips even harder into the brunette's body in an attempt to try to make his moans increase in volume- and, honestly, it was working.

"Kakashi...!"

"Louder."

"Kakashi!"

At that, Kakashi offered his wrist, and Iruka took it, gentle but firm as he bit into a spot that he hoped wouldn't hurt Kakashi too much, leaving marks with his canines and earning a pleasure-filled groan in return. The mark on his own neck was still burning, throbbing, sending sensations that he didn't even know existed coursing through his body, and though he was sure that an omega's mark on an alpha wasn't usually seen as a significant claim, and though he was also sure that Kakashi's gloves and shirts would cover up that bondmark just fine, he was happy that Kakashi let him mark his pale skin at all. 

Seeming just as excited as Iruka was if not more-so, Kakashi dug his thumbs into Iruka's hips so hard that he hoped they left bruises in the shape of the older man's fingerprints there. The Jonin used the leverage to tilt the brunette's body up at an angle, his knot finally popping inside and pushing up to the base of his cock until it was slamming into the younger man's prostate with every thrust- those of which were increasing in speed and quickly driving both of them to the edge.

It was more intense than any orgasm he'd had before, but then again, he figured that was because of the bondmarks that they'd just bitten into each other's flesh. It ripped through him in a way that had his body tightening up, muscles tense and walls clamping down on Kakashi's length. Cum shot out of him, landing on his and Kakashi's stomachs, but he was too consumed by his own pleasure to be embarrassed for the time being, even more so when the taller man finally finished inside of him, hips stuttering and knot keeping him in place as he painted the Chunin's insides white. 

Fuck. 

Slowly, Kakashi decreased his pace, still fucking Iruka through his orgasm until both of them were spent, and finally, he stopped.

Now, it was just a matter of waiting for Kakashi's knot to swell down, and the two simply stared into each other's eyes, silent but oddly comfortable despite that- almost a mutual understanding between two men, that is, until Kakashi averted his gaze, the comfortable silence that had taken over minutes before suddenly replaced by intense uncertainty. 

Finally, Kakashi pulled out and plopped down onto the bed, Iruka allowing himself to relax and curl up to his mate's side, relishing in the skin-on-skin contact. He struggled to read Kakashi's face, though... The Jonin looked conflicted, and honestly, that was a little scary.

He hadn't just made Iruka his mate in the heat of the moment, had he?

No. No way. Even during sex with an omega in heat, Kakashi was much more rational than that- he thought his decisions through when he made them.

"Oh my God. I just..." The silver-haired man blinked and ran a hand through his hair, eyes blown wide, apparently in shock. "I really did it."

"Yeah..."

"Are you...?" Kakashi trailed off, giving Iruka an expectant look, waiting for him to answer despite not having finished the question.

"I'm okay," The brunette reached over, draping an arm over Kakashi's chest and looking up at the older man. He was ethereal like that, silver hair pushed out of his face for once and dark eyes clouded with lust and something else that Iruka was struggling to identify. It was the last day of his heat, and he'd been wanting to say it for weeks now. So, worst-case scenario, he confessed and Kakashi didn't return the feelings- his heat was basically almost over and Kakashi could just leave, they could wait for their marks to fade away and they could go back to the relationship they'd had before. Iruka didn't care anymore. He wanted to be honest. So, he was. "I love you."

"I love you, too," The tension that had been thick in the room seemed to dissipate at that, and though Iruka was tempted to cry in relief, he was quickly distracted by Kakashi's arms quickly and tightly wrapping around his body, pulling him in close. Iruka could only chuckle as Kakashi buried his face into his shoulder, running a hand over his mate's hair to smooth it back in a soothing manner. "So much. I didn't think you'd..."

"I just had you make me your mate," Iruka reminded him, raising his eyebrows as his grin only grew. Had they both been that oblivious this entire time? Just how long had Kakashi felt this way? Iruka couldn't help but think back to the older man's comment from a few days before- he'd told Iruka that he wanted him before he'd even found out about his omega status, but... God, I'm stupid. "What'd you think my feelings were?"

"I didn't know for sure. I was scared."

"Scared of what?"

"You not wanting me," Iruka felt a bit guilty on hearing that, but he didn't dare voice it, suppressing the frown that threatened to take over his face. "You always acted like you hated me before. I didn't think it'd just change that easily."

"It's pretty rare, but I'll change my mind about people sometimes," He clarified, sighing and allowing his eyes to fall shut for a brief moment. God, he was relieved, but Kakashi was something else sometimes... How had he not picked up on it? Like, at all? Then again, Iruka figured he himself had been just as bad. "You should've said something earlier."

"Well, why didn't you?"

"I guess I was scared, too. Both of us were, and that's okay."

"You've always been so beautiful," The comment was sudden- sudden enough to take Iruka by surprise, and enough to have his heart skipping a beat when paired with Kakashi moving a hand up to play with Iruka's hair, which was loose and fanning out around his head like a halo without the hair tie that usually kept it up and away from his face. "You know that?"

"Kakashi..." The Chunin gave a sheepish smile, averting his gaze. His mind wasn't nearly as clouded by the heat, and as happy as he was, he was also painfully embarrassed.

"I mean it," The former Anbu's voice was gentle as he tenderly reached for Iruka, resting one hand on the brunette's cheek and tilting his face just a bit so they'd make eye-contact again, golden brown melting into charcoal. "Don't look away like that. Keep your eyes on me."

For a moment, Iruka's eyes drifted to his bedroom window. Through his sheer curtains, through the same window that Kakashi had tumbled in through on that fateful day his secret was discovered, he could see outside. The blue light reflected from the sky combined with the reds and oranges that hit the horizon to make a soft lavender that streaked and scattered there, running over the barely-there clouds.

It was a beautiful sight, but Iruka figured that he had plenty more sunsets to appreciate with Kakashi after this, so he let himself be distracted and focused his gaze back to Kakashi, who was smiling at him.

"Didn't you say purple was your favorite color? Like that lavender out there?" Kakashi quirked a brow, still playing with the ends of his loose, brown hair. "Like... Me?"

"Shush," Iruka blushed, knowing damn well that he liked the color because it reminded him of his lover's distinct scent of rain and lavender. "And just so you know... I'll always keep my eyes on you, Kakashi."


End file.
